How to protect your pool equipment in freezing weather.
Freezing weather can be especially hard on pool equipment, but with the proper precautions, you can rest assured that your equipment will make it through the cold weather just fine.
Here are the keys to avoiding freeze damage on your pool:
KEEP THE WATER MOVING
As long as the water is moving at a reasonable velocity through the piping and your pool equipment, it will not freeze.
- Make sure that all your pumps are freeze protected. The only pump that does not need to be freeze protected is your Polaris Booster pump because it receives flow at all times from the main pool pump. If a pump is not freeze protected, then it should either run 24 hours per day until the cold passes or it should be winterized (drained and disabled).
- Make sure your lines are all flowing. On a pool spa combo, it is generally not necessary switch the valves back and forth from pool to spa mode and vice versa. An experienced tech can tell you whether it is needed or not.
- Visually inspect your pool and its equipment to make sure that water is actually moving. Sometimes freeze protection devices fail, just like any other thing, so it is a good idea to check to make sure it is working (especially during the first freeze of the season).
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KEEP THE WATER LEVEL UP IN YOUR POOL
Pool water levels tend to run low in extremely cold weather. It may just be that nobody is out at the pool to look at it during the winter.
If all of your water faucets are frozen up, then you may need to run a hose from the cold water tap by your washing machine. Do whatever it takes to keep the water level up in your pool.
KEEP YOUR POOL MAINTENANCE UP TO DATE
- Keep your trap baskets and skimmers emptied
- Make sure your filter cleans are done on schedule
- Don’t put off backwashing
If you do not keep up with these maintenance items, then the flow of water through your pool equipment will be greatly diminished. In a freeze situation, this can lead to freeze damage on your equipment.
IF THE POWER GOES OUT, WINTERIZE YOUR EQUIPMENT
If you lose power to your home, then you will have no other choice but to winterize your pool equipment until the temperatures go back up and power is restored.
Here are the steps to winterizing your pool equipment in the Dallas area:
- Turn the main power switch off – you do not want your pumps coming back on if they are drained.
- Remove the drain plugs from your pumps, heater, filter and anything else that holds water and has a drain plug.
- Take the lids off of your pumps and put the drain plugs in the basket so you do not lose them.
- Open the air relief valve on your filter and remove the cap from your chlorinator.
- If anything else looks like it might be holding water, try to get it drained. Sometimes you can just loosen the unions on things to help drain out the water.
When the power is restored, then put everything back together and prime the pumps and get them started.
