your pool should be equipped with freeze protection that will turn on the pump if the air temp drops to 38 degrees (this is an adjustable setting). During freezing weather, keep an eye on your pool to make sure that the freeze protection has indeed activated. If you lose power and cannot run the pump during freezing weather, it will be necessary to disable the main power switch and pull the drain plugs on all the pool equipment to prevent freeze damage to your pool equipment.
your pool equipment should be set on a concrete pad that is above ground level, in an area that is not prone to flooding. Sometimes, over the years, landscaping and construction creates a situation where water is channeled right into the equipment area and the pump ends up partly submerged after a heavy rainstorm. Be on the lookout for this.
be sure to keep the equipment area free of leaf buildup. This is important for two reasons. First, the motor on the pump is air cooled. If the pump is buried under a pile of leaves, it will not ventilate properly and may also be subject to corrosion due to humidity. Second, leafy material presents a fire hazard. We have seen several situations where a few sparks out of the motor caused fires that severely damaged the pool equipment, fence and house.
Sometimes people ask if they should build a shelter around their equipment to protect it from the elements. This is not needed in this area and sometimes these structures create more problems than they solve. First, if you have a roof over your equipment, then the heater needs to be treated as an indoor heater and vented out with a roof-type stack. Second, if the equipment room is not well ventilated, heat and moisture will build up and do significant damage to the equipment. Third, structures often make it a lot more difficult to service the equipment.