Is It Time to Close Your Pool? What October Really Means for Lexington, SC Homeowners

October is the month it actually happens.

Not September, when it still felt like summer, and the water was too warm to close safely. But October in Lexington, SC is different. The air gets crisp in the evenings. The leaves start falling faster. Water temperatures begin their real drop. And pool owners across the Midlands start asking the same question:

Is it time?

The honest answer: it depends on your water temperature, but for many Lexington-area homeowners, October is exactly the right window to close. Here's what you need to know to do it right.

Why Water Temperature, Not the Calendar, Drives Your Closing Date

We covered this in September: closing your pool at the wrong time creates more problems than it solves. That's still true in October.

The rule hasn't changed. Close your pool when water temperatures are consistently below 60 degrees F - not just dipping there on a cold night, but holding there day after day.

In Lexington, water temperatures in early October typically sit in the mid-to-upper 60s. By late October, you're often in the low 60s or pushing toward that threshold. So while October is pool-closing season, it's worth keeping an eye on a thermometer rather than just flipping the calendar.

A $5 pool thermometer is one of the smartest tools you can own. Check it in the morning for three or four consecutive days. When you're consistently at or below 60 degrees, it's time.

What a Proper Pool Closing Actually Looks Like

A lot of homeowners think closing a pool means throwing a cover on it and calling it done. That's how you end up with a swamp in May.

Here's what a proper closing actually involves:

Step 1: Final Chemistry Balance

Your closing chemistry is arguably the most important step in the entire process. Before you add a single winterizing chemical, your water needs to be balanced:

• pH: 7.4-7.6

• Total Alkalinity: 80-120 ppm

• Calcium Hardness: 200-400 ppm

• Free Chlorine: 1-3 ppm before shock

Once balanced, you'll shock the pool - typically with a high dose of unstabilized chlorine or a non-chlorine shock - and add a quality winterizing algaecide. These chemicals work together to keep your water clean and algae-free during the months the pool sits dormant.

Don't skip this step or rush it. Closing on imbalanced water sets you up for staining, scale buildup, and a much harder spring opening.

Step 2: Clean the Pool Thoroughly

Close a dirty pool, and you're sealing in the problem. Brush the walls and floor, vacuum out any debris on the bottom, and clean your waterline with a tile and surface cleaner. Empty every skimmer basket and the pump basket.

If you've had heavy leaf fall in October -- and most Lexington homeowners have - do a final thorough cleaning the day before or the morning of your closing. Even a thin layer of organic debris at the bottom will decompose over winter and stain your surface.

Step 3: Lower the Water Level

Water expands when it freezes. Although Lexington doesn't get sustained hard freezes the way states further north do, we do get freeze events, sometimes multiple times in January and February.

For most pools, that means lowering the water level:

• 6 inches below the skimmer if using a solid winter cover

• 12 inches below the skimmer if using a mesh safety cover

This helps prevent water from sitting in the skimmer lines during a freeze event and cracking your skimmer housing - a surprisingly common and expensive repair.

Step 4: Blow Out and Plug the Lines

This is the step most DIY closings skip, and one of the most important in the Midlands.

Your plumbing lines need to be blown out with a shop vac or compressor and plugged at the ports. Any water left sitting in the return lines can freeze, expand, and crack the pipe. Cracked underground return lines are a five-to-six figure surprise in the spring if you're not careful.

Your pool professional will use expansion plugs at each return fitting and a Gizzmo (or similar) in the skimmer to protect against freeze damage.

Step 5: Winterize the Equipment Pad

Before covering the pool, take care of the equipment:

• Remove and store the pump's drain plugs (or leave them open to drain)

• Drain the filter tank and remove the drain cap

• Remove the pressure gauge from the filter

• Disconnect and store any salt chlorinator cell or UV unit

• If you have a heater, follow the manufacturer's winterizing instructions

Skipping equipment winterization is how you turn a small monthly maintenance expense into a $1,200 equipment replacement bill.

Step 6: Cover It Correctly

The cover is the last line of defense, but it's not a substitute for the steps above.

For Lexington homeowners, a mesh safety cover is generally the better choice. It drains rainwater through the mesh (no water bags or pumping standing water all winter), holds up to debris, and provides a safety layer. Solid covers keep more debris out but require a cover pump to manage standing water.

Whatever cover you use, make sure it's anchored securely. Lexington gets wind. A cover that blows off in November defeats the whole purpose.

What Happens If You Close Wrong?

We see it every spring - pools that were closed late, closed dirty, or closed with the wrong chemistry. The result is almost always some version of the same problem: green water, surface staining, or calcium scale that has to be treated before the pool can be safely used.

A green-to-clean treatment in the spring costs significantly more than a proper closing in the fall. More importantly, it delays your swim season by days or even weeks while the water clears.

Closing right the first time is almost always the less expensive option.

Don't Wait Until the Last Minute to Schedule Your Closing

If you want your pool closed in October, call now. Pool closing season in Lexington runs roughly October through mid-November, and schedules fill up fast. Homeowners who wait until the last week of October often find themselves waiting two weeks for a service call - and then scrambling when the first hard freeze shows up.

At Palmetto Pool Solutions, we close pools the right way, with proper chemistry, blowouts, equipment protection, and a cover that's actually secure. We serve Lexington, West Columbia, Irmo, Chapin, Gilbert, and the surrounding Midlands area.

Ready to schedule your pool closing? Contact Palmetto Pool Solutions today.

Not ready to close yet? Keep your fall weekly maintenance on track, and we'll help you choose the right closing window for your pool.

Palmetto Pool Solutions proudly serves Lexington, West Columbia, Irmo, Chapin, Gilbert, and the surrounding Midlands area.