first winter with new AGP in north Texas

[CR172]

I'm a bit confused on how/what I should do for the winter here in north Texas. We are located roughly one hour south of Oklahoma north of Dallas and I'm wondering if I need to lower the water level and put a tight meshed cover on for leaves and stuff or just leave it up and running over the winter with the cover in place. Any and all advice is welcome. We don't want to be replacing anything anytime soon.

TIA.

 

[Texas Splash]

Bill, my temps are a bit milder than yours up there against the panhandle, but I think you'll find owners from DFW and above who do either method. By leaving the pool open/running, you have the ability to monitor chemical levels which is nice and requires very little attention from Dec - Feb. As the water temp falls, you'll find the SWG will stop somewhere between 50-60 degrees, so you'll simply switch to liquid chlorine (aka regular bleach) to increase/maintain your FC level. Once leaves are all gone, you may not even need the mesh cover. The main concern for us in areas where we keep things running are the potential freeze periods - especially if there's a power failure and water stops moving. For those periods, it's good to have a back-up plan to cover/protect our equipment pad - just in case. We may even keep an old pool noodle or two handy if we suspect the skimmer area could freeze to protect from water expansion. As long as water is moving we're generally okay, but it's good you know the "what-ifs" just in case.

If on the other hand you elect to close completely just to not worry about it, you'll want to look at the following:

Closing (Winterizing) Your Above Ground Pool

Closing an above ground pool at season’s end should be a fast and worry-free process. Learn the basics of above ground pool winterization in easy steps.

www.troublefreepool.com

Closing Pool for Winter - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[CR172]

Thanks Splash. We are north of Dallas about an hour south of the OK border so not near the panhandle. I'm not all that crazy about a cover. I firmly believe that is what caused the premature rusting on the old Intex. Maybe I'll just lower the water level so I can drain the filter and pump and call it a day. Of course keeping an eye on the chemical levels. Pool is still crystal clear. I did notice the other day that the salt level is a bit low. Don't know if I need to worry about that now or just wait till spring. Water temp was 52* last time I checked. Chlorine was over 5 and Ph was 7.8. I added what acid I had on hand, maybe 8 - 10 oz.

Any other north Texas/Dallas area folks have advice?

 

[Texas Splash]

Maybe I'll just lower the water level so I can drain the filter and pump and call it a day.

Honestly, if it were me, I'd probably do that as well. Probably pull the hose from the skimmer bottom so it can remain drained (no freeze worries), then prep the equipment as needed and enjoy the winter break. With your water temp at 52 or below, you won't need to worry about algae. Do one final chemical test/adjustment and close. See you next season.

 

[aboykin2269]

This is basically what I did. I'm not worried about algae since the water is staying below 60. And if we get a freeze, it's usually not a deep freeze and only lasts for a few days. I let the SWG run until the water temps were below 60. Then I drained down 6" below skimmer and return, drained the pump and filter, disconnected hoses, moved everything including the cell and multi-valve indoors, covered pool with a leaf net, and covered the sand filter with a tarp (left the drain open at the bottom as well). In the spring when the water temps creep closer to 60+, I'll hook everything back up, fill with water, and let the SWG do it's job while I wait to fully open when it's warm enough to get in.