Decided not to close pool....have some questions

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R

RuthN

0
Aug 2, 2015
66
TX
Hey all. This is my first year with a pool and I was on here for help with the water balance. I've pretty much got that under control.

After reading a lot lot on here, I've decided not to close the pool. However, I'm sure there are things I need to do with the equipment anyway. i have not messed with the equipment other than to read about it.

1. We want to get a pool heater. I've become a snob and want to enjoy the pool year around. Suggestions? How does it install? Good recommendations?

2. I have freeze protection set at 35. Is that ok?

3. Do I need to wrap all pipes? If so, with what?

4. The equipment is between an outside wall and fence. It's sort of protected unless we get heavy winds or something crazy.

5. What else do I need to know and do?

ive already decided with only a few months of having a pool that I don't want to not see it or use it in the winter! :eek:
 
LOL Ruth! You HAVE worked so hard to get it clear you deserve to get to enjoy seeing!

I am not sure how it is there in TX. I know we do get some freezing temps. What we do is run the pump on low those nights.

Kim
 
Ruth I don't trust so much money and effort to a machine.......You are so new to your pool that you cannot be sure the freeze protection works.

Now if you can "test" it by setting it to come on at a higher temp just so you can KNOW it works then go for it!

There is NOTHING fancy about my above ground pool. I turn my pump on and off by hand. I add the chlorine. I put Wanda the cleaner in by hand as needed. VERY simple but oh so easy! LOL

Kim
 
I'm in your area. I've had my pool for 20 years and have never closed it. Like you I have a Freeze Guard set to 35 degrees. Never had a problem with it. When the temperature drops below 35, it turns the pump on and will cycle the pump on and off as long as the temp remains below 35. I think it runs about 30 minutes, cycles off for about 15 to 30 minutes (not sure). I do not wrap any pool pipes, and have never had a problem. Similar to you, my pool equipment pad is on the exterior of the house with a fence about 6 feet from it.

In the past (before finding this site), I quit adding chlorine when the water temp fell below 60 degrees. I've never had a case of algae with the water temp that low. In the 2 years since joining TFP I do try to keep the appropriate level of FC in the pool, but if I went on a week vacation I don't think I would worry about it, based on my past experience. Also, I see that the FC doesn't drop very rapidly when the water is that cold, which is good.

The only other thing I can think of to mention is to do a filter backwash on a relatively warm day in December, in hopes that will last you through January and February when it may be too cold to enjoy doing a backwash.

I do have a heater (gas fired) but have never used it to heat the pool due to the expense. I have occasionally used it to heat the attached Spa.

Good Luck with your winter swimming.
 
epro05 said:
I'm in your area. I've had my pool for 20 years and have never closed it. Like you I have a Freeze Guard set to 35 degrees. Never had a problem with it. When the temperature drops below 35, it turns the pump on and will cycle the pump on and off as long as the temp remains below 35. I think it runs about 30 minutes, cycles off for about 15 to 30 minutes (not sure). I do not wrap any pool pipes, and have never had a problem. Similar to you, my pool equipment pad is on the exterior of the house with a fence about 6 feet from it.

In the past (before finding this site), I quit adding chlorine when the water temp fell below 60 degrees. I've never had a case of algae with the water temp that low. In the 2 years since joining TFP I do try to keep the appropriate level of FC in the pool, but if I went on a week vacation I don't think I would worry about it, based on my past experience. Also, I see that the FC doesn't drop very rapidly when the water is that cold, which is good.

The only other thing I can think of to mention is to do a filter backwash on a relatively warm day in December, in hopes that will last you through January and February when it may be too cold to enjoy doing a backwash.

I do have a heater (gas fired) but have never used it to heat the pool due to the expense. I have occasionally used it to heat the attached Spa.

Good Luck with your winter swimming.
Click to expand...

thank you! This is what I was looking for! I have not touched any of my equipment. I don't know how, or how often, to do the filter.
 
Ruth,

You should be backwashing and recharging your DE filter every time the pressure rises to 25% above clean pressure. So if your clean pressure is 10psi, then you backwash at 12.5psi. You also need to recharge the DE you wash out during a backwash. If you do not know how to do this, there are articles in Pool School explaining the process.

As well, once per season (beginning or end, your choice), the DE filter should be opened up and completely deep cleaned and inspected. That is a labor intensive process that can take upwards of 2-4hrs to complete depending on the state of the internal components.

As for heating your pool all year and through the winter, that's really not possible. A gas heater can increase pool temps by a couple of degrees if you have a good pool cover/blanket but at an enormous expense (cost of gas or electric). Pool heating only works to extend the swim season on the marginal months but once the air temperatures get low enough, no amount of heating will make an outdoor pool swimmable. In our parts of the country, solar heating is the most economical source of heat.


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RuthN said:
You guys rock! So I guess I need to do this. Lol. Seeing as how I have no idea when precious owner did. That will be my project for the weekend.
Click to expand...

It's not nearly as hard as it looks, just time consuming. But a word of caution - water-logged, DE filled grids (or cartridges) weigh a TON!!! If you have any back issues or difficulty lifting heavy objects, go get a lift buddy to help you. Once the grids are all cleaned, they are very light weight and easy to reinstall.


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