Hi,
This is my first year with a pool and I've learned a ton using this site so thank you first off.
Now that temperatures in Atlanta are finally starting to hit the freezing mark overnight, I read everything I could and went through the full pool closing process as best I could figure it out with much help from this site. Even if I don't fully close it in future years I at least wanted to know what the process was like and who to do it.
This morning I came outside to the the pump running even though all of the equipment had supposedly been shut off. It was only at that point that I realized what that box labeled "Freeze Defender" was there for. Not cool having the pump running all night with no water pumping through it. :|
Since everything was already winterized this year, I've flipped the breaker so the Freeze Defender doesn't engage any more. But I still have a few questions for what to do in future years if I decide not to close the pool fully.
1) I'm we're not going to actually use the pool and I want to cover it for the winter, do I need to monitor the level so that it doesn't get over-filled with rain during the winter? I assume I can't lower the level because it still needs to be able to circulate when the pump turns on during freezing temperatures.
2) Speaking of the Freeze Defender, if that automatically turns on the pump when temperatures get below freezing, what setting would I leave the filter on? It's a sand filter if that matters. When winterizing I turned it to Closed but I assume if the Freeze Defender is going to turn the pump on when it gets cold enough having the filter on Closed may not be right. So do I just leave it on filter or bypass or something all winter?
3) Anything else I'd need to know that I may not think of it I'm going to cover the pool (Mesh safety cover) but otherwise leave everything as-is over the winter and rely on the Freeze Defender to keep the equipment safe? Is it really that easy? Just put on the cover and turn off the equipment, then let the Freeze Defender take it from there?
Thanks!
This is my first year with a pool and I've learned a ton using this site so thank you first off.
Now that temperatures in Atlanta are finally starting to hit the freezing mark overnight, I read everything I could and went through the full pool closing process as best I could figure it out with much help from this site. Even if I don't fully close it in future years I at least wanted to know what the process was like and who to do it.
This morning I came outside to the the pump running even though all of the equipment had supposedly been shut off. It was only at that point that I realized what that box labeled "Freeze Defender" was there for. Not cool having the pump running all night with no water pumping through it. :|
Since everything was already winterized this year, I've flipped the breaker so the Freeze Defender doesn't engage any more. But I still have a few questions for what to do in future years if I decide not to close the pool fully.
1) I'm we're not going to actually use the pool and I want to cover it for the winter, do I need to monitor the level so that it doesn't get over-filled with rain during the winter? I assume I can't lower the level because it still needs to be able to circulate when the pump turns on during freezing temperatures.
2) Speaking of the Freeze Defender, if that automatically turns on the pump when temperatures get below freezing, what setting would I leave the filter on? It's a sand filter if that matters. When winterizing I turned it to Closed but I assume if the Freeze Defender is going to turn the pump on when it gets cold enough having the filter on Closed may not be right. So do I just leave it on filter or bypass or something all winter?
3) Anything else I'd need to know that I may not think of it I'm going to cover the pool (Mesh safety cover) but otherwise leave everything as-is over the winter and rely on the Freeze Defender to keep the equipment safe? Is it really that easy? Just put on the cover and turn off the equipment, then let the Freeze Defender take it from there?
Thanks!
