So I gotta tell you something embarrassing.
Last spring, I walked into my backyard ready to open the pool. Sun was shining, birds were singing, I had the whole day planned. I was gonna be that person sipping a drink by the water by noon.
Yeah. That didn’t happen.
I pulled my pump out from behind the shed where I’d tossed it in November. Looked fine at first. Then I noticed the little crack. Just a hairline thing running along the bottom. I thought maybe it was nothing. Filled it up with water anyway. You can guess what happened next. Water everywhere. My yard looked like a swamp. Had to drive an hour round trip to buy a new pump because mine was ancient and nobody stocked parts for it anymore.
$650 later, I finally had the pool running. By dinner time.
My wife was nice about it. She just said “maybe next year we store things better.”
So yeah. This article is basically me trying to save you from making my same dumb mistake.
Let’s Talk About What You’re Actually Dealing With
When I say “pool equipment” I’m not just talking about the little net skimmer thing. I mean the expensive stuff.
You got:
- The pump and motor (that’s the big money item)
- The filter (sand, cartridge, whatever you got)
- The heater if you have one (those are crazy expensive to replace)
- All your hoses and poles
- The chemicals (don’t forget about these)
- Floats, toys, covers, ladders
Add all that up sometime. Just for fun. Grab a calculator and price out what it would cost to replace everything tomorrow. I did that once and almost choked on my coffee. We’re talking thousands of dollars sitting back there.
And here’s the thing. That equipment is tough when it’s running. It’ll push water around all summer no problem. But sit it in the cold for four months? With moisture inside? That’s when things break.
What Actually Happens When You Just Leave Stuff Outside
My buddy Mike, he leaves his pool pump outside all winter. Just sits there next to the pool covered in leaves. Every year I tell him he’s crazy. Every year he says it’s fine.
Last month he texted me a photo of his pump with the side busted open. Water got in, froze, expanded, and pop. Done. New pump time.
That’s the thing about water. It finds a way in. Maybe you think you drained everything but there’s always a little bit hiding somewhere. In a low spot in the hose. In the bottom of the pump housing. In the filter. That little bit of water turns to ice, ice expands, and something’s gotta give.
Then there’s the sun. Even in winter, sun is rough on plastic. Makes it brittle. Makes rubber seals hard. Come spring you turn things on and suddenly you got leaks everywhere.
And don’t even get me started on mice. Those little guys love pool equipment. Warm motor housings make perfect apartments. They chew wires. They leave droppings. They build nests in your filter. I pulled a mouse nest out of a pool heater once. Took me an hour to clean it all out.
How I Do It Now (Finally Got It Right)
Okay so here’s my system now. Took me a few years to figure this out but it works.
First thing when I close the pool, I drain everything. And I mean everything. Pump gets drained from the bottom plugs. Filter gets opened up. Hoses get hung over the fence so water runs out. I let stuff sit for a day just to make sure it’s dry.
Then I clean stuff. Not like deep clean but I’ll rinse the pump basket, wipe down the filter, make sure there’s no leaves or debris stuck anywhere. Stuff that sits wet grows mold. Learned that one the gross way.
Chemicals go in the basement. Not the garage. Basement stays warm, garage gets cold. Liquid chlorine left in the garage will freeze and either lose all its strength or burst the bottle. Either way you’re buying new stuff in spring.
Toys and floats get washed. Sounds silly but sunscreen and body oil make the vinyl get sticky over time. I just use mild soap, rinse them, dry them, deflate, and throw them in a big plastic bin. Label it “pool toys” so I’m not digging through five bins next year looking for the good floats.
Here’s Where I’m Gonna Plug My Own Setup
So my garage. Man. My garage is a disaster zone. Lawn mower, snow blower, bikes, holiday decorations, tools my dad gave me that I never use but can’t throw away. There’s no room for pool stuff by November.
I used to just shove things in corners and hope for the best. But after the great pump disaster of 2022, I started renting a small unit at County Line Storage just for the winter. Best decision I ever made.
Hear me out. For not much money, I get:
- Climate control so nothing freezes
- Actual shelves so stuff isn’t on the ground
- Security so nobody walks off with my gear
- Room to walk around and find things
Plus I can put everything in one place. No more hunting through three different sheds and the basement trying to remember where I put the ladder hardware. It’s all right there in one spot.
Come spring, I grab the key, drive over, load up, and I’m done in twenty minutes. Pool’s running before my neighbors even find their skimmer nets.
Stuff People Always Forget (Don’t Be That Person)
Every year I see the same posts in our neighborhood Facebook group. People looking for parts, asking where to buy chemicals, complaining their pump won’t start. Here’s what they forgot:
- Labels: Write on stuff. Use a sharpie on tape. “Pump bolts” “Filter O-rings” “Ladder screws”. Spring you will thank yourself. I promise.
- Batteries: Take batteries out of anything that has them. Automatic chlorinators, floating lights, robot cleaner remotes. Batteries corrode over winter and ruin the contacts.
- Ladders: If you got removable pool ladders, store them inside if you can. The plastic steps get brittle in cold and someone steps on them next summer and snap.
- Covers: Fold your pool cover carefully. Don’t just wad it up. Fold it like a blanket. Easier to put back on next year and lasts longer.
Quick Story Before I Go
My neighbor across the street, old guy named Rick, has had the same pool pump for like fifteen years. Fifteen years. I asked him how he does it. He said every winter he brings it inside, puts it on a shelf in his laundry room, and forgets about it till May.
That’s it. That’s the whole secret. Bring it inside.
Some of us got room inside, some of us don’t. If you don’t, that’s fine. Just get it somewhere dry and protected. A shed with a heater. A garage that stays above freezing. A storage unit like the ones we got at County Line Storage . Anywhere but sitting outside in the snow.
Alright That’s My Two Cents
Look I’m not trying to sell you anything except the idea that taking care of your stuff now saves you money later. Pool equipment is expensive. Replacing it sucks. Spending an hour in the fall putting things away properly means you’re swimming in the spring instead of shopping.
Learn from my mistakes please. Don’t be the guy standing in the home improvement store in April with a broken pump and a credit card. Be the guy who opens the pool, turns everything on, and it just works.
That’s the goal right?
Now if you’ll excuse me I gotta go drain my hoses before it gets cold tonight. Learned that one the hard way too.
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