New here and looking for advice with the freeze coming in a few days

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SteveTech

Well-known member
Dec 20, 2022
84
Tulsa, OK
Afternoon all,

New pool owner here from Tulsa.. With the up and coming freeze, my first with our pool (came with home), just want to make sure I am ready. Done a lot of reading, so I think I have a few options.. Some notes.. Pentair system (soup to nuts, incl heater) intellipanel run with screen logic. Single pump, SPA integrated with pool (has waterfalls from spa to pool), when pool circuit is running, water jets in pool and spa run, water falls into pool. SPA circuit lowers water in spa and turns off waterfalls. Pool open 365 by previous owner, no cover, saltwater based.. Pump normally runs about 6 hours a day when temps are normal..
So here is what I think my options are..

  1. Let freeze protection do its thing (on for spa and pool), and don't worry..
  2. Run pool circuit 24/7 (freeze protection on)
  3. * same as above, but keep heater set at 50 deg..
Any other suggestions or am I in the ball park..?

Appreciated and thank you in advance
 
Steve,

I assume you have a VS pump. If that is true, then I would schedule the pump to run 24/7 during the freezing weather.

Make sure both your Pool Circuit and your Spa Circuit are set to be "on with freeze".

How big is your pool? Does it only run 6 hours a day in the summer?. If so, I can't see how that is near enough time for the system to make the chlorine that your pool needs. :scratch:

Also.. Know how to drain your system if the power goes out.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Jimrahbe said:
Steve,

I assume you have a VS pump. If that is true, then I would schedule the pump to run 24/7 during the freezing weather.

Make sure both your Pool Circuit and your Spa Circuit are set to be "on with freeze".

How big is your pool? Does it only run 6 hours a day in the summer?. If so, I can't see how that is near enough time for the system to make the chlorine that your pool needs. :scratch:

Also.. Know how to drain your system if the power goes out.

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
Yes, it is an Intelliflo VS and both the spa and pool have freeze protection on.. Also, is there a reccommended RPM to run the pump at during the winter?

As far as summer usgae goes, no idea yet honestly.. not a big pool, bout 12K gal.. so I have not yet crossed that bridge yet.. The clorinator shut off a few weeks back and I have been doing shock for now..
 
Last edited:
SteveTech said:
Also, is there a recommended RPM to run the pump at during the winter?
Click to expand...
Steve,

Without a heater I'd run 1200 or so, but with a heater I'd run at 1600 or so.

You really just want to keep the water moving.

Since this is new to you, you might want to run a test tomorrow before anything gets here. Your Air temp prob should be hanging out of the bottom of your Automation. Just stick it in a glass of ice water and it should kick your freeze control on. Unless you tell the system otherwise, the pump should run at whatever speed is assigned to the Circuit that is on. So, when in the pool mode it will run the pool circuit speed and when in the spa mode the pump will run at the spa circuit speed. The system should automatically switch back and forth between the pool mode and the spa mode.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Jimrahbe said:
Steve,

Without a heater I'd run 1200 or so, but with a heater I'd run at 1600 or so.

You really just want to keep the water moving.

Since this is new to you, you might want to run a test tomorrow before anything gets here. Your Air temp prob should be hanging out of the bottom of your Automation. Just stick it in a glass of ice water and it should kick your freeze control on. Unless you tell the system otherwise, the pump should run at whatever speed is assigned to the Circuit that is on. So, when in the pool mode it will run the pool circuit speed and when in the spa mode the pump will run at the spa circuit speed. The system should automatically switch back and forth between the pool mode and the spa mode.

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
right now, the pool is running at 2700? and the spa at 3300? which based on what you are telling me is rather high.. Also, I have read about throwing a tarp over the equipment to help, but others have said not a good idea... supposed to be in the single / low double digits for the next 24-48 hours starting at 5am, so anything I can do to prep outside of what I have already done is appreciated..
 
Steve,

I have never used a tarp, but I can't see why it would be a bad idea.

I think the basic idea is to add a tarp and an old-style light bulb for a little heat. Just make sure the bulb is not touching anything.

I'd use ScreenLogic and change both speeds to say 2000, just to make sure. That said, you can just leave it as it is, as the freeze will only be here a couple of days. Up to you.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Options 1 and 2 will create the same result - protecting your equipment and plumbing. The main difference will be in how much wear you are comfortable with on your electronic actuators. With freeze protection on for spa and pool, it'll rotate between those two modes periodically (I think for my systems - its every 30 minutes though I've also heard 15), and each time the actuators fire. Having said that - in my case here in South Central Texas, I need freeze protection so rarely that I'm not particularly concerned about the extra wear but YMMV.

For me personally - i also drained by backflow preventer and as much of my auto fill line as i could, and left the valves for the RPV set to open. I also stuck a few pool noodles in the AF bucket as well. I don't expect it to freeze, but if it does - the pool noodle will take the brunt of any expansion and contraction and protect float valve / bucket. Lastly, I plan to tarp all of my equipment.
 
Alright, made it through the day.. pump and freeze protection ran like a champ.. every 15 mins switching back and forth.. been in single digits for nearly 24 hours.. temps starting to move up today and whill chill to finally leave.. wont be above freezing until Sunday..
Thin layer of ice on about 50% of pool surface.. going to break it up and clean out filter basket.. Water temp at 33 deg..

Any other suggestions at this point? or just continue forward..? I am debating running the heater, but I don't think that is a good idea yet.. thoughts?
 

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SteveTech said:
Alright, made it through the day.. pump and freeze protection ran like a champ.. every 15 mins switching back and forth.. been in single digits for nearly 24 hours.. temps starting to move up today and whill chill to finally leave.. wont be above freezing until Sunday..
Thin layer of ice on about 50% of pool surface.. going to break it up and clean out filter basket.. Water temp at 33 deg..

Any other suggestions at this point? or just continue forward..? I am debating running the heater, but I don't think that is a good idea yet.. thoughts?
Click to expand...
Steve - Just a suggestion…keep an eye on your actuator valve cycling between the pool and spa. In our last deep freeze in TUL, my actuator froze before anything else. In the middle of the night, it drained the spa and caused all kinds of issues.
 
PaigeMark said:
Steve - Just a suggestion…keep an eye on your actuator valve cycling between the pool and spa. In our last deep freeze in TUL, my actuator froze before anything else. In the middle of the night, it drained the spa and caused all kinds of issues.
Click to expand...
Good point.. SO far, still switching back and forth every 15 and I am checking the app and looking as much as possible..

Since you are in my neighborhood, how did you fare last night? Was crazy cold.. I'm watching my neighbor outside right now with a shovel breaking down his skating pond..

I am also wondering if wrapping the actuators in a pipe wrap would help? thought about that yesterday, might give it a try next time around
 
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SteveTech said:
Alright, made it through the day.. pump and freeze protection ran like a champ.. every 15 mins switching back and forth.. been in single digits for nearly 24 hours.. temps starting to move up today and whill chill to finally leave.. wont be above freezing until Sunday..
Thin layer of ice on about 50% of pool surface.. going to break it up and clean out filter basket.. Water temp at 33 deg..

Any other suggestions at this point? or just continue forward..? I am debating running the heater, but I don't think that is a good idea yet.. thoughts?
Click to expand...
Not sure there’s much else you can do. Mine seems to be holding up well, water temp at 42 but I’m a few hundred miles south of you. I lost about 10 degrees of water temp over the last 24 but I’ve got direct sunlight on the pool at the moment and it’s starting to come up a bit.
 
SteveTech said:
Since you are in my neighborhood, how did you fare last night? Was crazy cold.. I'm watching my neighbor outside right now with a shovel breaking down his skating pond..
Click to expand...
No issues last night and it was crazy cold. Today, we have a little ice forming along the edges of the pool. Water is still flowing. We’re heating the tented equipment pad with a 100watt work lamp. Just hoping we get out of this freeze soon. We heard our neighbor breaking ice earlier, too. His pool faces North so no break from the wind. Not sure if he tented his equipment, though. Hang in there!
 
So far so good as well, had to break the surface up this morning (north facing pool as well :rolleyes:) .. Still I am faced with an interesting issue as the pool equipment is on the south said of the house, and the sun has been shining on it and the automation thought it was 40deg outside, so freeze protection shut off.. need to figure out how to get around this.. esp since it was only 25 and the water temp is 33..
 
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Merry Christmas all!

I have an interesting problem, want to know some of your thoughts.. My pool is north facing and the equipment and the panel are south facing.. Sun has been shining all day and it is 24 deg outside, but since the sun has been shining on the panel, the air sensor thought it was 40, and shut off freeze protection.. I caught it about and hour or so later.. and kicked in the spa for a bit. Any suggestions? setup temporary programming to run the pool for 30 mins and spa for 30 mins continually?

Pool water temp is still at 32 and has a thin sheet of ice on it..
 
Texas Splash said:
Sounds like a good plan until the sun drops and temp readings become more consistent.
Click to expand...
Thats what I did.. alternate between spa/pool 30 mins each until freeze kicks in.. I'll keep it that way for not until night temps are back to 40.. plan to run the spa next week when it warms up, so that should help bring the water temp up
 
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