Pool service FAQ: openings, closings, liners and more

A standard Limitless Pools opening costs $329 plus HST. Safety covers, heaters and salt systems add a set amount listed on the pricing page. Regional companies that publish prices charged $249 to $420 in 2026, so compare what each includes.

Most openings take one to two hours on site. The water usually clears within two to five days of running the filter, depending on how clean the pool was at closing and how warm the weather is.

No. We need access to the yard, power to the equipment and a working hose. We text when we arrive and send a visit note with water readings when we finish.

A green pool needs extra shock, brushing and filter cleaning. We tell you on the day and quote the clean-up before doing it. See what each water colour means in our water colour doctor.

A standard Limitless Pools closing costs $349 plus HST, with a set add-on for safety covers, heaters and attached spas. Published regional prices in 2026 ran from $330 to $440 for a full closing.

You can, but the risky step is blowing out and plugging the lines properly. Water left in a low spot freezes and cracks pipe that is buried under your deck. A professional closing costs less than one line repair.

Yes. Above ground closings include removing and draining hoses, winterizing the pump and filter, adding a skimmer plate or plug, an air pillow and the winter cover.

Surface ice on the pool itself is usually fine. The damage happens in lines, the pump and the filter. If frost is forecast before your date, turn the pump on to keep water moving and call us.

Yes. Water left in a heat pump or heater can freeze and crack the heat exchanger, and manufacturer warranties, including Madimack, exclude freeze damage from improper winterization. Heater and heat pump winterizing is a $59 add-on.

Most vinyl liners last 8 to 12 years in Ontario; HomeStars quotes 7 to 10. Balanced water, keeping the water level up over winter and a good cover stretch that. Low pH and sun shorten it.

Usually about $4,000 to $9,000 installed in Ontario, depending on size, shape, steps and thickness. A 16 x 32 ft rectangle with a standard 20 mil liner sits near the lower middle of that range.

No. The pool is drained so the floor and walls can be inspected and repaired, and the new liner can be set with a vacuum. We check groundwater before draining.

One to two days on site for most inground pools, plus filling time. Ordering the custom liner takes a few weeks after the measure.

If you have dogs, trees overhead or plan to keep the pool 10 years or more, a thicker liner usually pays for itself in fewer repairs. For light use, 20 mil is fine.

Often, if the pattern is still made. Otherwise we bring current samples to your measure.

Yes. Overlap, beaded and J-hook liners for round and oval pools. See our above ground liner page.

Usually air is getting in: a cracked pump lid O-ring, a loose basket lid, low water in the skimmer or a leak on the suction side. Check the water level and lid first, then book a service call if it still won't prime.

Heat pumps cost less to run in warm months but slow down on cool nights. Gas heaters heat fast in any weather but cost more per hour. Many Kingston owners use a heat pump to extend May and September.

Pool filter sand usually lasts about five years. Change it sooner if pressure climbs quickly after backwashing or the water stays cloudy with good chemistry.

Usually yes. We check that your equipment and any metal parts suit salt water, size the cell to your pool volume, and install it with a bypass so it can be serviced easily.

Limitless Pools weekly maintenance costs from $69 per visit, depending on pool size and whether you choose weekly or every-two-weeks service. Chemicals are listed separately in your visit note.

With weekly service, no. With every-two-weeks service, a quick test strip check midweek, especially after heavy rain or a pool party, keeps things on track.

Yes. Green pool clean-up is quoted separately because it needs extra shock, brushing and filter cleaning, and often two or three visits until the water is clear.

Yes. Above ground pools get the same visit: skim, brush, vacuum, test and balance, plus a check on hoses and the liner.

So you can decide without waiting for a quote call. The base price covers a standard pool; add-ons are listed so nothing appears on the bill that was not on this page.

Start-up and winter chemicals are included in openings and closings. Weekly maintenance lists chemicals used in each visit note.

Not inside our core area of Kingston and Greater Napanee. Towns farther out may have a set travel fee, shown when you book.

One booking that covers your fall closing, spring opening and two mid-summer water tests, with first pick of spring dates.

Price depends on pool size and shape, mesh or solid, and how many anchors are needed. Rectangles cost less than freeform pools with steps and rocks. We measure for free and give a fixed installed price before anything is ordered.

Most custom covers take a few weeks to manufacture after measuring. Book a measure by early September if you want the cover on at your fall closing.

A tensioned safety cover is built to hold a person or pet that walks onto it by accident. It is not made for regular walking or play, and snow should not be shovelled off it.

Mesh suits cottages and owners who will not check the cover, because snowmelt drains through. Solid gives cleaner water at opening under heavy tree cover, but needs a pump for standing water after thaws.

Yes. We remove seized or broken anchors and set new brass anchors flush with the deck, then re-tension the cover.

Heat pumps bought on or after October 1, 2026 carry 6 years parts and on-site labour and 25 years on the heat exchanger, and the InverELITE V2 has a 10-year compressor warranty. The InverFLOW PLUS pump has 5 years parts and labour.

Yes. Madimack requires registration within 30 days of installation for the listed warranty. When we install it, we register it for you and send the confirmation.

Limitless Pools is an authorized Madimack dealer and installer for Kingston, Napanee, Belleville and the Quinte region.

Yes, within its rated range. The InverELITE V2 is specified to run down to about minus 10 degrees Celsius air temperature, though output drops as air gets colder.

Usually yes. We check pipe size, flow and electrical capacity at a site visit, then quote the unit and any plumbing changes as one fixed price.

Yes, from late spring to early fall. Heat pumps lose output as the air gets colder, so they work best kept running with a cover at night rather than switched on for a cold weekend.

A correctly sized heat pump usually adds about 0.5 to 1 degree Celsius a day to a covered pool in spring, so start it a few days before you want to swim.

Most heat pumps need a dedicated circuit. We check your panel at the site visit and include any electrical work in the quote.

Yes. Water left in a heat pump can freeze and crack the heat exchanger, and freeze damage from improper winterization is excluded from manufacturer warranties. We winterize heat pumps at every closing.

It depends on your current pump, run hours and electricity rate. Replacing a 1.5 HP single speed pump running 10 hours a day often saves a few hundred dollars a season. Try the estimator on this page with your own numbers.

Most residential pools run 10 to 16 hours a day at low speed, with a short higher-speed period for skimming or a heater. We program the schedule when we install it.

Yes. Heaters and salt cells need a minimum flow, so we set a speed that meets it whenever they are on.

Madimack lists 5 years on parts and 5 years on on-site labour for the InverFLOW PLUS, provided the pump is registered within 30 days of installation.

Most above ground liners last 6 to 10 years in Ontario. Balanced water, a good winter cover and keeping the water level up over winter all help.

Often yes, after smoothing and topping up the sand or replacing a foam pad. Deep footprints, roots or washouts are fixed before the new liner goes in.

Look under the top rail. If the liner folds over the wall and is held by plastic coping strips, it is overlap. If it sits in a track along the top of the wall, it is beaded.

Yes. September and early October are good months, and the pool is then closed on our normal schedule.

About $4,000 to $9,000 for most inground pools and $1,200 to $2,800 for above ground pools, installed, before HST. HomeStars put a typical Ontario vinyl liner replacement at $4,500 to $6,500 in August 2026.

Quotes differ on thickness, whether steps are vinyl-covered, whether water and floor repairs are included, and how carefully the pool is measured. Compare what each quote includes, not only the total.

Filling from a municipal hose is usually fine. If you are on a well that can't keep up, water delivery is extra and we list it separately in your quote.

Demand peaks from April to June, so dates fill first. Measuring in winter gets you an early install date at the same price.

Yes. Small holes and tears are patched underwater with a vinyl patch and adhesive made for wet use. The pool stays full.

Around 3 to 6 mm a day in hot, windy weather is normal evaporation. More than that, or loss on cool, still days, points to a leak.

Sometimes. If the vinyl still has stretch, it can be warmed and re-seated. If it has shrunk or keeps coming out, it is time for a new liner.

We test the liner and fittings and can pressure-test the lines to find which one is leaking before any digging.

Mid blue with a tile border is the most common choice in Ontario backyards. It looks like classic pool water and hides dirt well.

Slightly. A darker liner absorbs a bit more sun, which can add a little warmth on sunny days, but a solar cover or heat pump makes a much bigger difference.

Yes, slowly, from sun and chlorine. Keeping chlorine steady rather than spiking it, and covering the pool in winter, slows fading.

Yes. We bring current pattern samples to your free measure so you can see them in your own backyard light.