To winterize or not in West Texas

[TXPetty]

New to this forum, but have been gleaning info for quite awhile now. We have a new pool, not the first, but new. And different. It is a concrete stock tank built and plumbed to be a swimming pool. We have falls,(infinity style) into a catching pool for our skimmer system. It is 30 ft round and 5 ft deep. Main drain in big pool, and 'other' drain in catching pool. No finish on pool interior other than concrete waterproof seal. We do have freeze protector on pumps. We have chlorinator (That seems useless )

We are in 'country' so no restrictions on draining pool. Though with water well rate slow, it takes a couple of days to fill.

I don't want to winterize, husband does. I want to keep H2O in pool, and use falls when possible. I also want it to just be 'ready' on our first warm day in April/May.
We will not drop to cold nights (below 60) till about October.

Questions I have on keeping open. --
How much circulation is needed per day, per week?
What should the chlorine levels be during 'unuse'
We don't usually have freezing temps, but when we do they are for about a week. Day and night. Would the pumps need to run 24/7 then? OR could we drain lines just before that hits and be safe? Also in last years freeze the electric went out for about 48 hours, would that have been detrimental had we a non winterized pool then?

Hazards of elements in West Texas are: 1 or 2 ice and or snow storms lasting approximately 48 hours. Temps are usually 60 in day and 40 at night. December through Feb usually lows are mid 30's. Sand storms through March and April and maybe a couple to blow in the cold fronts in October. Sand storms can dump some dirt, so cover helps, BUT the pool being above ground it may be next to impossible to keep the cover on in the 40mph+ winds that hit.

Ideas and thought?! Thanks

 

[bobodaclown]

When the water get's down to the 50's chlorine usage drops significantly. I get by with 4 hours of pump run time in the winter. Maintain your chlorine level you'll notice that it will drop slower in the winter. Run the pump enough to keep the water clear. But ensure you maintain a FC level.

 

[TXPetty]

Thanks!

 

[one_knight4u]

If you are going to leave water in the pool, I would suggest that you run the pump 24/7 during freezing weather. That will ensure you do not freeze and crack the pool, a pipe or the pump housing. This way you do not forget about it. Moving water takes alot to freeze.
One last problem to resolve though. What happens if you loose electricity during those freezing temps due to an ice storm. Will you have enough time to take care of household things to keep it from freezing and the pool too.
If you loose electricity, and the temps are low enough, you may have to do an emergency drain of the pool, lines, pump, and filter. Running a motor off a generator is hard due to elec requirements at startup. Lowered voltage on a motor is very hard on them.
You may need to make yourself a big sign and post it right next to your entry door, "IN CASE OF ELEC. OUTAGE, DRAIN POOL!", that way it is always in your mind if it does happen.