Turn off emergency pump ok?

[jrsmith25]

I keep my pump running 24/7, and I have the emergency automatic feature on for freezing temperatures. My question is would it be ok for me to turn off the emergency freeze protection feature as long as I keep my pump running (it’s snowing here and will be below freezing the next few days)?

The reason I ask is we want to use the spa tonight in the snow and I’m not sure how that will work with the pump running on freeze protect mode.

 

[jrsmith25]

Only thing I am concerned with is evaporation and not being able to fill it back up easily if it gets close to the skimmer

 

[JJ_Tex]

That would be a hard no for me for 2 reasons:

1. When you are heating up the spa, your pool pipes (drains, skimmers, returns) will have non-moving water in them for the few hours while you are heating and using your spa. Assuming your temps are well below freezing, that water will likely freeze and cause damage.

2. Running your heater at those water temps will cause corrosive condensation and shorten the lifespan of the heater.

 

[jrsmith25]

That would be a hard no for me for 2 reasons:

1. When you are heating up the spa, your pool pipes (drains, skimmers, returns) will have non-moving water in them for the few hours while you are heating and using your spa. Assuming your temps are well below freezing, that water will likely freeze and cause damage.

2. Running your heater at those water temps will cause corrosive condensation and shorten the lifespan of the heater.

Thanks for the response. I have always read as long as you get up over 59 degrees or whatever it is then your heater is fine

 

[ajw22]

I have always read as long as you get up over 59 degrees or whatever it is then your heater is fine

Every time you run your gas heater with water below about 60F a few drips of corrosive condensation are created inside the heate. Those drips are cumulative and stay acidic as I doubt you open up and use baking soda to neutralize it in your heater. Imagine everytime you run the heater with cold water you are dripping some Muriatic Acid inside.

Do it once in a while and it does not affect the life of your heater by much. Do it too often and it can accelerate the wear on your heater by a few days, or weeks, or years. You will never really know but when people ask why their gas heater sprung a leak after a few years I ask if they have a spa they heat in the winter. The answer is usually yes. That is the cost of using the spa in the winter.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Thanks for the response. I have always read as long as you get up over 59 degrees or whatever it is then your heater is fine

While I had 2 concerns, my #1 point was the primary concern. I would almost guarantee the water in your pool pipes would break if still for a few hours while you use the spa.

 

[jrsmith25]

Ok thanks. Well like you said it’s the cost of using a spa in the winter I suppose. I could heat the pool up 10-15 degrees and then just the spa for a couple hours. Surely that would be enough to keep the pool pipes safe

 

[JJ_Tex]

Ok thanks. Well like you said it’s the cost of using a spa in the winter I suppose. I could heat the pool up 10-15 degrees and then just the spa for a couple hours. Surely that would be enough to keep the pool pipes safe

Hmm... I'm not convinced that would help.

I would certainly try an experiment first. Fill up a water bottle with tap water from your house that would be roughly your pool temp + 10 degrees. Set it outside and see if it freezes in the amount of time your pool pipes would have standing water in them. I'm guessing the water bottle would freeze in the 2-3 hour timeframe, but that way you would know and not risk damaging your pipes.

 

[ajw22]

Heating your pool up 10-15 degrees from freezing is the worst thing you can do to your heater.