Hey yall,

Im trying to save myself some bucks and have been taking over some of my previouse pool companies responsibilities. My 30K inground plaster pool is covered and winterized but Im curiouse about storing some of the equipment. In the past years my old pool company would store my motor and the insides of my DE filter in my garage. From info Ive gathered here on TFP and other sites I have learned this might not be common practice and i can leave them out in the snow.. I live in Maryland and the winters are rough. Im trying to avoid breaking apart the pump each year which may be the reason Ive had to replace the motor almost every 3 years.....Any thoughts? Any one bringin in their motors and booster pumps indoors to store each year or was this company as crazy as i thought they were?

Welcome to TFP!

I leave my equipment out, but cover it so it doesn't get snow/ice directly on it. Even covering is not really required, it is just that it is easy so I figure it is probably worth that much effort. As long as everything is properly drained you will be fine.

I live in Massachusetts and have never brought anything inside, nor covered anything either. My equipment was buried in 4 feet of snow last winter and, in April, everything fired up as usual. Never had an issue in 4 years.

There is no need that I have ever seen, to cover the equipment unless you want make a habitat for wildlife seeking shelter.

I do remove cartridges when winterizing so they are aren't stored dirty.

I leave grids in so when I come by in the Spring, they are dry. A dry grid is much lighter and easier to remove. It also makes damaging the up pipe less likely. This is especially important when a set of grids haven't been cleaned in a couple years and have a heavy layer of cake inside. Dried, it light, wet, it weighs a lot more!

Spring is also when I do my sand changes. Dry sand is much easier to vacuum out.

Scott

There is no reason to disconnect the motor and store. You could do more harm than good...which it sounds like your previous company may have been doing. Clean the grids and store them in the filter body with the drain plug in only 3/4's of a turn to prevent any rodent from getting into the filter while still allowing any moisture or water build up to drain out....

Welcome to TFP!!

While I don't want to be contrarian, I prefer bringing any pool equipment , that can easily and conveniently be disconnected and brought inside, indoors. Wrap the outside connections with a plastic bag and duct tape and lube any o-rings and store them in the pump basket.

If the filter and heater have to stay out, plug the inlets/ outlets with some steel wool - mice won't eat through it and water can still drain

We disconnect our pump and bring it inside. I cover all open pipe ends with metal fly screen held on with a zip tie to keep the mice out but let water drain or ice expand. We drain the sand filter, remove the spider gasket and store it inside, then cover the hole with a small piece of plywood bolted on. We don't cover the filter with a tarp.

In all my years of living, I've honestly have never seen anybody bring in a heater. That would be like bringing in your A/C units

Window A/C units? We do bring ours in during winter. There's no way we can insulate that window properly against the northwinds. But we do leave the heat exchanger for the attic A/C outside.

Storing the motor inside out of the elements will prolong it's lifespan. If it was my pool I would plumb unions on the motor and anything else you want to bring in for the winter. I would hire an electrician to install the motor with a twist plug and toggle switch that way you don't have to un-wire the motor every year. The motor is more susceptible to weather than the filter. If you can't comfortably lift the filter I wouldn't bother moving it as you'd probably end up damaging the filter.

If you have a variable speed pump, I would definitely bring it inside for the winter. There are a lot of electronics on these pumps and I feel it is much safer to keep them out of the elements for the winter.

No, central A/C compressor units.

Man, some of you guys go to waayyy too much trouble to winterize the pool.
Blow the lines properly, put the cover on the pool, and see you in April.

What's to blow? All my lines gravity drained.

I don't leave my garden tractors out in the elements, or my cars. The pump unplugs, the plumbing unscrews. I like protecting my investments as much as I can from critters and weather. And still, I can count on finding a mouse nest inside the plug box next spring.

I wasnt refering to your pool specifically.

Ah. Okay. I should have read your post closer, where you said, "Some of you guys . . . ".

There is no doubt in my mind that bringing in anything metal (due to condensation, against which a cover is no protection) and plastics (due to freeze/thaw cycles) will prolong their lives. I don't have a heater, so the only thing left on my pad after close is the electric box and the Jandy valves. With well placed unions it only takes a few minutes to put it all up or knock it down. 'No problem after 4 years' doesn't help me; We've had a pool at this location since 1946. One motor lasted 19 years--they built them better back then.

Just giving my opinion and experience.