Being in Austin, I was advised I don't need to unhook my equipment, but simply run the pump when it gets below freezing. Unfortunately I can't seem to find an app that will notify me when it gets below freezing, and yesterday, even though it was 70 degrees out, and I had shorts and T-shirt on, it got cold in the evening, and less than an hour ago I got up to 24 degree weather. (I wasn't aware of the forecast, and I had no idea it was going to get that cold.)
I rushed out to turn on the pump, and it wouldn't turn on.
I saw icicles on the pipe next to the skimmer, and near the ball joint that's just below it. So I stuck a metal pole down the skimmer to check for ice. I kind of tapped inside the elbow joint, and it might have felt a little slushy in there, but I wasn't sure.
The ball joint itself was frozen. I then opened up the pump basket, and water was flowing out pretty good. I then using a fair amount of strength, fought through the frozen ball joint handle, and was able to close that line, as I wanted to test the rest of the line. Once I did so, the water flow out the pump basket almost completely stopped, so that kind of confirmed to me there was blockage somewhere in the pump, sand filter, SWG, or piping connecting it all.
But as I stood there, the trickle making it through was slowing getting faster, and faster, and I think that small water flow was helping melt and/or dislodge the ice, so I happily let it continue. When it got fast enough, I put the pump basket lid back on, and opened the ball joint again, and voila: the pump now pumps water again.
So I now have the pump running, which I guess I'll leave that way until later today when it gets above freezing.
I think the good thing is I caught this early enough in the freezing process that the tricks I used would still work.
I rushed out to turn on the pump, and it wouldn't turn on.
I saw icicles on the pipe next to the skimmer, and near the ball joint that's just below it. So I stuck a metal pole down the skimmer to check for ice. I kind of tapped inside the elbow joint, and it might have felt a little slushy in there, but I wasn't sure.The ball joint itself was frozen. I then opened up the pump basket, and water was flowing out pretty good. I then using a fair amount of strength, fought through the frozen ball joint handle, and was able to close that line, as I wanted to test the rest of the line. Once I did so, the water flow out the pump basket almost completely stopped, so that kind of confirmed to me there was blockage somewhere in the pump, sand filter, SWG, or piping connecting it all.
But as I stood there, the trickle making it through was slowing getting faster, and faster, and I think that small water flow was helping melt and/or dislodge the ice, so I happily let it continue. When it got fast enough, I put the pump basket lid back on, and opened the ball joint again, and voila: the pump now pumps water again.
So I now have the pump running, which I guess I'll leave that way until later today when it gets above freezing.
I think the good thing is I caught this early enough in the freezing process that the tricks I used would still work.
