As we approach closing time I am considering some options. Last year I did the 18" below the return and capped the skimmer to prevent stuff from getting inside. This year I am wondering if I can just cap the skimmer and plug the return and leave the water level up? I am in WI so my concern is when it freezes that the ice will damage the skimmer and return. Is this actually an issue? Otherwise, what is the minimum water I can drain? I didn't like it being way low come spring and starting over with so much water balancing since our TA is really high out of the well. There was a surprising amount of evaporation as well. Confirmed no leaks this summer.
Closing water level
- Thread starter nwardoh
- Start date
With a permeable cover, or no cover, the pool fills and it's up to you of you'd rather start lower so you don't need to drain as often mid winter, or start higher and pay closer attention to it as it rises.
With a solid cover there's no need to lower the pool below the returns. You can either blow the lines and cap them with threaded plugs as air is shooting out, or use blow through bungee plugs. It's still advisable to drain below the skimmer and use a gizzmo even with a solid cover. You can stuff the mouth of the skimmer with cut up pool noodles just in case the water level rises so any ice won't damage the skimmer throat. (The gizzmo covers the round part inside but it doesnt hurt to add extra insurance)
With a solid cover there's no need to lower the pool below the returns. You can either blow the lines and cap them with threaded plugs as air is shooting out, or use blow through bungee plugs. It's still advisable to drain below the skimmer and use a gizzmo even with a solid cover. You can stuff the mouth of the skimmer with cut up pool noodles just in case the water level rises so any ice won't damage the skimmer throat. (The gizzmo covers the round part inside but it doesnt hurt to add extra insurance)
I’m in Florida so this is never an issue for me, but I have read threads where someone’s skimmer cracked under the pressure of expanding ice.
Others with more cold weather knowledge will chime in!
By the way, our Pool School article on closing an AGP recommends draining to 6” below return.
Others with more cold weather knowledge will chime in!
By the way, our Pool School article on closing an AGP recommends draining to 6” below return.
See, someone who knows about winter was posting at same time as I was!
being above ground I will remove the plumbing so if any water does leak in it can run right out. The cover I have for the skimmer is a rectangle ones with foam seals around the edges that you put in from inside the pool. I will be using a solid cover.
Make sure it seals well. I tried one on a 17 year old pool and the skimmer was so out of square/plum from years of UV that the skimmer filled in minutes.
Do keep the cover from overflowing. The weight of the water/ice pushing down sometimes pushes pool water up the wall and out the skimmer. You want some water on the cover to keep it from blowing around but only a few inches.
If you have the skimmer that has a "tupperware seal" that goes on the inside of the pool, then you do not need to lower the water level at all. Remove all hoses from the skimmer and return, and plug the return. With the skimmer now open at the bottom from removing the hose, water will not accumulate or have a chance to freeze. I did this every year when we had an AGP. If you are trying to use an aftermarket skimmer seal, that won't work and will leak down to the bottom of the skimmer openimg.
That one more than likely will leak. They sell a faceplate replacement that has the "lid" that attaches to. You would have to remove the existing skimmer faceplate and install the new one. After I did that, I never had to lower my water level again.
Man that's scary lol. Did the liner stay pretty much put when you changed it out?
Nwardoh,
Is there much of a height difference between your skimmer and return?
If the return is lower than the opening of the skimmer you could remove the plumbing from the return and just let the excess water drain out of the disconnected return. Water would never reach the skimmer.
The pump intake in my pool is connected to a thru-wall skimmer and a Haywood vacuum port. The vacuum port is about 8 inches below the skimmer opening. When I close for the winter, I remove the plumbing from the pool and let the rain/snow water just drain out of the vacuum port. With the pipes removed from the skimmer it cannot fill with water.
If you wanted to, you could install a Haywood vacuum port some distance below the skimmer and just leave it over winter to drain and then actually hook it up before opening next spring.
I don't cover my pool over winter because there are no nearby sources of foreign matter near my pool. I'll get some storm blown leaves and such, but they are easy to remove at opening. Occasional additions of bleach a few times over winter keep the water clear. Freezing has never caused any harm and we are well below sixty degrees for our average winter temperature here in the Pacific Northwest.
Yes. Wasn't even worried about it moving. It's a quick replacement, too. I plugged the skimmer hole to prevent too much water loss.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 14,292
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
It's been over 10 years since I did this, but I believe I did it with the water into the skimmer. I had the new faceplate with the seal attached already, ready to swap, then unscrewed the original faceplate, but did not remove it yet. I remember it being "stuck" to the pool wall. Once I removed the original faceplate, I quickly applied the new faceplate. I might have also reused the gasket, as it was only one season old. Then, screwed in the new faceplate and that was it. I don't recall any water getting in between the pool wall and liner.
the return is just a little below the skimmer. I do not have a vacuum port and use a robot so don't really need one.