Over-wintering Intex Pools experiences/advice

[ironpoorer]

I have read over the site but do not readily see any posts that address this.

We are condidering leaving our 16' Intex inflatable ring style pool up all winter due to the royal PITA that it is to drain/clean/pack away only to have to put it all back out next spring...as well as filling it with another $100 of H2O. I am aware that Intex reccomends NOT leaving it out, but am looking for experiences of people who have tried it. I was thinking to drain it down some and remove the pump/filter and leave on the solar cover to keep debris out. We are in southern Indiana, so snow and freezing weather is a factor.

Advice? Really bad idea? Should I just resign myself to gathering it up and putting it away?

 

[zea3]

I'm not sure what effect freezing and ice will have on your inflatable ring, but if you are determined to do this, take theses things into consideration:
Do not remove the pump until the water is consistently below 60 degrees 24/7. Until the water temps drop to at least 60 full time you will be at risk for algae and need to continue to add chlorine and run the pump.

Do not cover the pool. The pool will get dirty but the weight of snow and ice on the cover will drag down the sides of your pool and cause the water to spill out.

Cap off the fittings where the hoses connect to the pool and do not drain any water. You don't have plumbing lines to worry about freezing and the water is providing most of the structural integrity for your pool.

That being said, I would not recommend leaving this pool out over the winter unless you are prepared for the possibility that it may be ruined should the freezing weather prove to be too harsh. If you want an intex pool that is a little more hardy then you may want to look into their ultra frame line of pools.

 

[rghilliard]

I'm in Tennessee and I am debating the same issue with my metal frame Intex pool. At first I was planning to take it down, but the more I think about it I may keep it up. Based on my very unscientific research on internet message boards it seems that most people take it down. I have read several success stories, but no disaster stories. I'm certain there are disaster stories, but I'm starting to believe that if I follow regular above ground pool closing instructions and we have a normal winter then it will probably be fine. With so little information to base it on, it is just a Crud shoot.

 

[foster400]

***warning do not try this at home***

this is a picture of me standing on my 18' easy set last winter. We had weeks below freezing with 12" of snow. the entire side of the pool was hard as rock. the only problem we had was one plunger valve cracked and once in awhile i would add a bit of air to the ring. this year I plan to take it down to do some work on the ground below it. If it wasnt for that I would not hesitate to leave it up all winter.

 

[ironpoorer]

***warning do not try this at home***

this is a picture of me standing on my 18' easy set last winter. We had weeks below freezing with 12" of snow. the entire side of the pool was hard as rock. the only problem we had was one plunger valve cracked and once in awhile i would add a bit of air to the ring. this year I plan to take it down to do some work on the ground below it. If it wasnt for that I would not hesitate to leave it up all winter.

Dang!

After waiting for a response from someone who actually had done it and getting none, I figured it was a crazy idea and drained the pool yesterday! Oh well, I also want to do some work on the ground below it to make it a bit more level and smooth.

Thanks anyway!

 

[rghilliard]

I just wanted to update this thread to say that I kept my Intex metal frame pool up last winter in Tennessee and had no problems. I plan on doing it that way for as long as the pool lasts.

 

[woodwoman]

To drain or not to drain? That is the question.

Diligent site searching yielded little input on this topic. As it cost $210 to have water delivered this summer, I'd prefer to leave my Intex metal frame pool up and filled over the winter. Here in central Indiana, we have "real" winter, punctuated with numerous freeze/thaw cycles. Seldom more than 7" snow depth, but ice can be a problem. I'll appreciate any success/failure stories and advice to help me make the decision this fall.

Also, I live in a rural area, not on city water or septic. If/when I do drain the pool this fall, the water will (obviously) pour onto the lawn/garden and into my septic field. I'm concerned about potential negative effects from the pool chemicals (CYA, salt, sulfates from dry acid.) Any comments?

 

[frogabog]

We left our metal frame up last year over the winter. Mild winter tho.

Rain is our big issue. I see no reason to drain it, it just collects rain. We plan to cap the ports and tent it with floaties and a ball so everything rolls off. A tarp staked to the ground is the plan. Wind owing the cover in was the biggest issue last year.

Rust will be the biggest consequence overall. If the liner first fail first.

 

[woodwoman]

Thanks, Frogabog. I appreciate your reply, especially as there doesn't seem to be much input here. I'm a bit surprised that more folks don't ask about this... but maybe most people aren't foolhardy enough to consider over-wintering this type of pool, with water in it.

Newbie etiquette question-- would it be appropriate for me to start a new thread on basically the same topic? I'd really appreciate success/failure stories & advice from more people. Winter's a-comin'!

 

[dghenry1]

To Woodwoman, we had to drain our pool in early July this year and i have noticed no damage to my lawn. My garden is too far away to be affected, and so far there have been no problems with my septic tank or fill line.

This is the first year we have had the pool, so I know nothing about keeping it over the winter. We live in Northeast Mississippi, so it could probably be done here. If we have a winter here like the one we had last year, it might pose a problem (had the first White Christmas in 40 years and a total of 26" of snow, unheard of here, we didn't even know what that kind of snow looked like!), but the chances of two winters like that in a row would be slim i think.

We had to move the pool after we had already filled it once because of moles. The tunnels those little things make caused three legs on one side to sink into the ground, thus unleveling the pool and making it lean. I had no idea that moles could cause that much problem with a pool, had never heard anyone say a word about it, but it happened.

 

[Patrick_B]

Well, Ive thought about it and tried it last winter. My cover wasnt durable enough, and it was a disater. Thinking about it again with a better cover. I know they arent designed for it, but I think they could tolerate our winters. Honestly, I think the temps up north are just too harsh, and imagine integrity of the materials would be compromised, especially in terms of longevity. But, I would so love to save our precious water mainly, and not have to re-set. The DW will kill me if she hears this from me again. If I could just somehow put that water back in the well....

 

[Jamison04]

Our previous 16' metal frame Intex was left up for 6 years and survived many a horrible winter here in central okla. If it wasn't for getting a larger one his year it would have been still in use and left winterized for next summer. They are very durable! Just would recommend a heavier cover as stated above. The one that comes with these pools is more of a summer cover and too light weight.

 

[frogabog]

My garden begins roughly 18" from the pool and I have grass right up to the edge of the pool (new sod last summer). The garden is just fine being splashed on, and the grass...

Well the grass is flourishing next to the pool. It's actually thicker against the pool than it is elsewhere.

What messes with the grass is flooding. When we drained last year I had healthy grass under the ports. We left them open so it would drain out as it rained. A constant flood of water went on that side of the pool for 9 months and it totally mudified the area... I lost the whole section of sod near the house that WAS the best growing part at the end of last summer. Interestingly enough, one section that was bad last summer is all filled in again now. That's actually the 18" section nearest the garden.

I think the chlorine gets consumed rather quickly once it hits any organic material. Grass, soil containing decomposing plant matter, and the general plant environment is all organic. If algae can eat chlorine like it does in a pool, it stands to reason that chlorinated water would loose the battle with a quickness once applied to nearly 100% organic material.

 

[woodwoman]

Thanks to everyone for your input. I appreciate all your replies.

I think I've decided to drain & store the pool this year, and perhaps experiment with wintering over once it's had a few year's use. It's brand new this season, and I know I'll kick myself if I leave it up and it gets damaged. I'd rather be out the $210 for water delivery than have to replace the pool AND pay for new water.

 

[lwr32]

Living in Sacramento, CA, it Usually gets to 105° or higher in the summer. We aren't real pool fans but decided to get an Intex 10' x 30' easy set pool last summer. We read all we could about it and how to maintain it. We also talked to a friend in Kansas about it since he had one for a long time. In the end, it was a great decision.

We never thought anything about leaving the pool up over the winter. We put extra pool chemicals in it, covered it up with the Intex pool cover then staked a blue tarp over the whole thing. Worked out great. No algae. Discoloration of water was minimal too. Pool chemicals and running the pump eliminated the water discoloration. When we opened the pool, we changed the filter. It got pretty nasty looking.

We don't get snow and rarely do we get below freezing. So all of you in the Sacramento area on down to San Diego that don't get snow or too much freezing weather, I'd say leave your pool up all winter so long as you treat the water and cover it properly.

 

[Nina Li]

Living in Florida I felt that taking the pool (16' Ultra frame ag pool) down wasn't necessary...so far so good...It's Christmas Eve and pump is running on schedule, SWG stiill working well...cover is still on, just a few leaves snuck in under the cover somehow (I bought a special cover, not the one that came with the pool). Hoping that it holds up until I can take my first swim in April or May!

 

[Tilly4527]

It is so hard for me to take my ring top 16x42 pool up & down. Last fall, I cut it up & threw it away
I'm buying a new one & leaving it up all year. I live in south jersey & winters are cold.....still, I'm leaving it up!

 

[darice]

Hi! Just found/joined this site--Love it!

This will be my 4th summer with the Intex 16x48 Ultra Frame. I have never taken it down for the winter as they recommend, and I live in Western New York. I drain it to just below the intake and cover it. We are very careful to not go near the pool when it is frozen--the ice can be razor-sharp and could slice through the liner if you happened to jar it at all.

When I uncover the pool in spring, the water is crystal clear, thanks to the SWG--best money I ever spent! I just have to top it off, add salt, run the SWG on a couple of boost cycles and it's good to go.

 

[cyw95]

Hi! Just found/joined this site--Love it!

This will be my 4th summer with the Intex 16x48 Ultra Frame. I have never taken it down for the winter as they recommend, and I live in Western New York. I drain it to just below the intake and cover it. We are very careful to not go near the pool when it is frozen--the ice can be razor-sharp and could slice through the liner if you happened to jar it at all.

When I uncover the pool in spring, the water is crystal clear, thanks to the SWG--best money I ever spent! I just have to top it off, add salt, run the SWG on a couple of boost cycles and it's good to go.

we are in Ottawa Ontario and this will be our secind summer (first full one) with the same pool. We just got it out last night and have found some leaks down near the bottom seam. Wondering what temp you guys in Western NY get down to in the winter and if we could leave ours up as well. We get down to minus 45 usually for a few weeks (with wind chill)

 

[jruppert]

Hello.. new to the forum.

I live in Michigan and this last winter was COLD. Actually.. it is still cold out. Anyway, I have the largest Easy Set pool that you can get from Intex. After draining all the water from it last year, I decided to fold it up and bring it to the garage for storage. Yeah right... That thing was a major PITA. So, I left it. It sat in the back yard with water drained and the ring deflated. Yesterday I filled it with water and it looks good to go!