Closing and Winterizing Your Pool

IMPORTANT — Remove and store chemistry probes before freezing temperatures occur.
pH and ORP probes are not designed to withstand freezing conditions and can be permanently damaged if they freeze. Remove the probes from the plumbing and store them indoors using the appropriate sensor storage solution (not water). Freeze damage will result in permanent probe failure and is not covered under warranty.

See the Chemistry Equipment section below for more information!

This article explains how to prepare The Attendant when your pool, spa, or individual bodies of water are being winterized. It does not replace the winterization procedures provided by your pool professional or original equipment manufacturers.

What The Attendant does — and doesn’t do:
Installer Mode and the Winterized setting prevent The Attendant from automatically operating affected pool equipment. They do not physically winterize your plumbing or equipment and are not a substitute for properly closing your pool or spa.

Option 1: Winterizing the Entire Pool and Shutting Down The Attendant

Use this option if your pool and spa are being fully closed for the season and the pump and other equipment controlled by The Attendant will no longer need to operate.

Before removing power, place The Attendant into Installer Mode. Installer Mode stops The Attendant from automatically operating your pool equipment. It does not remove electrical power from The Attendant or any connected equipment.

Using the Mobile App:

1. Complete the physical winterization procedures recommended by your pool professional and equipment manufacturers, including any required water balancing, winterizing chemicals, draining, or plumbing protection.
2. Open the Poolside mobile app and tap the menu icon (☰).
3. Select Maintenance → Installer Mode.
4. Press the Enter Installer Mode button.

Using The Attendant Touchscreen:

1. At the touchscreen, tap the Service icon.
2. Select Installer Mode.
3. Press the Enter Installer Mode button.

While The Attendant is in Installer Mode, automatic equipment operation is disabled. Valve actuators remain powered so they can still be manually positioned using their switches if needed during the winterization process.

Once the pool plumbing and equipment have been properly winterized, switch off the main power to the pool equipment, including The Attendant.

When The Attendant is powered down, the Poolside mobile app will display the system as offline. This is expected while the system is shut down for the season.

The Attendant is now prepared for the off-season. Complete any remaining winterization procedures recommended by your pool professional and equipment manufacturers.

Option 2: Winterizing Only Part of Your Pool or Spa

Use this option if only certain bodies of water are being winterized while other parts of your pool or spa system will remain operational.

You must use the mobile app when winterizing individual bodies of water. The Winterized setting is not currently available on The Attendant’s local UI display.

After the selected pool or spa has been physically winterized, use the mobile app to mark that body of water as Winterized. Its normal controls will become inactive and hidden in the app. Equipment associated with bodies of water that have not been winterized can remain available for normal operation.

Enter Installer Mode:

1. Open the Poolside mobile app and tap the menu icon (☰).
2. Select Maintenance → Installer Mode.
3. Press the Enter Installer Mode button.

Mark a Body of Water as Winterized:

1. Select the body of water that has been winterized from the Sites tab.
2. Scroll down and turn on the Winterized option.

3. Slide the confirmation bar from left to right.

4. Tap Apply at the top-right of the screen.
5. Repeat these steps for any additional bodies of water that have been winterized.
6. When finished, tap Save in the upper-right corner.

7. Exit Installer Mode by tapping the back arrow in the upper-left corner and pressing the Exit Installer Mode button.

The controls associated with the winterized body of water will now be inactive and hidden in the app.

Valve Actuators

IMPORTANT
For additional protection, physically disconnect valve actuators associated with winterized plumbing from The Attendant, or move the actuator’s manual switch to its center/OFF position. This helps prevent unintended valve movement after the plumbing has been positioned for winterization.

Before disconnecting an actuator or moving its switch, mark the correct valve position with a marker or sticker so it can be restored when the pool is reopened.

Chemistry Equipment

If your pool has Chemistry Management, the chemical dispensing equipment and pH and ORP probes must be properly prepared for the off-season. pH and ORP probes must not be allowed to freeze or dry out. Improper storage can permanently damage the probes or affect their accuracy when your pool is reopened.

Using the Poolside Winterization Kit

The Poolside ATT-WINTKIT Winterizing Kit is designed to help protect your Poolside pH and ORP probes during the off-season. The kit includes the proper probe storage solution, protective caps, sponges, and threaded plugs needed to safely store your probes and seal the openings where they were installed.

Proper storage helps prevent the probes from drying out or being damaged by prolonged exposure to air, helping ensure reliable and accurate operation when your pool is reopened.

Remove and Store the pH and ORP Probes

For each probe:

1. Remove the probe from the flow cell or plumbing.
2. Insert one of the supplied yellow sponges into the inside of a black protective cap from the Winterization Kit.
3. Add the appropriate probe soak solution to the protective cap. Add enough solution to saturate the sponge and keep the sensing bulb or tip of the probe fully immersed when installed.
4. Carefully insert the probe into the protective cap. Verify that the sensing bulb or tip is fully immersed in the storage solution.
5. Keep the probe upright and at room temperature during storage. Store it in a protected location away from freezing temperatures, excessive heat, and direct sunlight.

Do not allow the probes to dry out. Prolonged exposure to air can compromise probe performance and may prevent the probe from operating properly when the pool is reopened.

Seal the Flow Cell or Plumbing

After removing the probes, use the spare threaded plugs included with the Winterization Kit to cap the openings in the flow cell or plumbing where the probes were installed.

Make sure each plug is properly installed before completing the remainder of your pool’s winterization procedure.

Don’t Forget the Rest of the Chemistry Devices

The Winterization Kit protects the pH and ORP probes, but the remainder of the chemistry system must also be prepared for freezing conditions. Follow the manufacturer’s winterization procedures for your chemical tanks, dispensing lines, pumps, and associated plumbing.

IMPORTANT
The Poolside Winterization Kit is intended to protect the probes while they are in storage. It does not winterize the rest of the pool’s chemistry equipment or plumbing.

Lights and Light Groups

If your pool or spa will remain covered for the winter, disable any lighting schedules associated with it. This prevents the lights from automatically turning on and off while beneath the cover. If power to the lighting equipment has been disconnected for the season, no changes to lighting schedules are necessary.

If you have lights within a winterized body of water that you want to continue using during the off-season, you can reconfigure them to appear within the Landscape group so they remain available for manual control.