Scarred from last winter - closing a Central Texas pool

[BrooksBoysPool]

Hey guys -

We lost all our pool equipment during the snowstorm in Texas last winter. I'm already thinking about what that means for this year. Last year we had someone taking care of our pool, now I am taking care of it. As far as I can tell last year they just covered the pool, let the pump run slightly less and did their subpar weekly maintenance.

Here's my question: When we lost power for days last year is when everything froze and broke. I realize the chance of that is happening again is slim, but I need to be prepared for it if I ever want to sleep again. I'd like to do a "soft" pool closing as well as we don't usually get too cold around here, but is there anything I can do in this case if we lose power again? I trust the Texas power grid about as far as I can throw it.

Thank you!

 

[Texas Splash]

Plan B. That's about it. You can wrap pipes in advance for the months of Jan - Feb. Have a tarp ready for the equipment pad. Things like that. We actually had a TFP Zoom session about this subject (below). You can check that out.

TFP Expert Discussion - Non Closing Winter Prep

Come join us this Saturday, July 31, 2021 at 1 pm EDT/10 am PDT. Texas Splash (aka Pat), and Leebo (aka Lee) will be joining us for a discussion about Non-Closing Winter Prep for those pools in areas you do not fully close the pool. We will be using Zoom. Questions will be submitted via Chat...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Newdude]

but is there anything I can do in this case if we lose power again

There certainly is. Take the time now, in flip flops and shorts, (margarita optional but still recommended), to get out to your equipment with the manuals. Download them if you don’t have paper copies. Locate and mental note the locations of the drain plugs as per the manuals. Pull them all. See how much water is still left in the pipes that you have access to. Duct tape a 3 ft piece of garden hose to your shop vac hose and suck out what you can. Take just the shop vac hose and attach it to the exhaust port of the vac. Practice blowing out any pipes you have access to, closing any valves you have access to to trap said air in those pipes.

You’ll be amazed how much you can get done in 15 mins if you know how. Too many folks were looking for the first time at 2AM in life threatening temps while not properly dressed. In the dark.

We at TFP were victims of our own success last winter. We kept pools running and not freezing with water temps well into the low 20s or lower. The curveball that none of us saw coming was the rolling blackouts and many pools/equipment took mere minutes to freeze.

 

[reggiehammond]

I learned the hard way that the Intelliflo pump has 2 drain ports! Given what happened last year, I've practiced draining the pump pot, the lines, and the filter in preparation for any potential freak storms. Because I've spent that time, we're assured that it'll be 82º on Valentine's Day, like it's been known to do in the past!

 

[HeyEng]

There certainly is. Take the time now, in flip flops and shorts, (margarita optional but still recommended), to get out to your equipment with the manuals. Download them if you don’t have paper copies. Locate and mental note the locations of the drain plugs as per the manuals. Pull them all. See how much water is still left in the pipes that you have access to. Duct tape a 3 ft piece of garden hose to your shop vac hose and suck out what you can. Take just the shop vac hose and attach it to the exhaust port of the vac. Practice blowing out any pipes you have access to, closing any valves you have access to to trap said air in those pipes.

You’ll be amazed how much you can get done in 15 mins if you know how. Too many folks were looking for the first time at 2AM in life threatening temps while not properly dressed. In the dark.

We at TFP were victims of our own success last winter. We kept pools running and not freezing with water temps well into the low 20s or lower. The curveball that none of us saw coming was the rolling blackouts and many pools/equipment took mere minutes to freeze.

Excellent advice. Reminds me of my flying days. We trained in a simulator...emergency after emergency after emergency piled on top of other emergencies. That way, when the real deal happens, it is usually "no big deal." Sure, practice may not make perfect but it's much better than trying to figure it out on the fly!

 

[BrooksBoysPool]

There certainly is. Take the time now, in flip flops and shorts, (margarita optional but still recommended), to get out to your equipment with the manuals. Download them if you don’t have paper copies. Locate and mental note the locations of the drain plugs as per the manuals. Pull them all. See how much water is still left in the pipes that you have access to. Duct tape a 3 ft piece of garden hose to your shop vac hose and suck out what you can. Take just the shop vac hose and attach it to the exhaust port of the vac. Practice blowing out any pipes you have access to, closing any valves you have access to to trap said air in those pipes.

You’ll be amazed how much you can get done in 15 mins if you know how. Too many folks were looking for the first time at 2AM in life threatening temps while not properly dressed. In the dark.

We at TFP were victims of our own success last winter. We kept pools running and not freezing with water temps well into the low 20s or lower. The curveball that none of us saw coming was the rolling blackouts and many pools/equipment took mere minutes to freeze.

This is great - thanks! I was one of those people in the cold and dark at 2am last year for sure. Question - do I leave the multiport in filter for this? I could change it now for my practice run but I guess it would be frozen if this actually happens.

 

[BrooksBoysPool]

Plan B. That's about it. You can wrap pipes in advance for the months of Jan - Feb. Have a tarp ready for the equipment pad. Things like that. We actually had a TFP Zoom session about this subject (below). You can check that out.

TFP Expert Discussion - Non Closing Winter Prep

Come join us this Saturday, July 31, 2021 at 1 pm EDT/10 am PDT. Texas Splash (aka Pat), and Leebo (aka Lee) will be joining us for a discussion about Non-Closing Winter Prep for those pools in areas you do not fully close the pool. We will be using Zoom. Questions will be submitted via Chat...

www.troublefreepool.com

Watching this as well - thank you so much

 

[Newdude]

Question - do I leave the multiport in filter for this?

If it’s connected with unions it pops out in seconds and leaves with access to a few pipes to blow.

 

[Newdude]

I was one of those people in the cold and dark at 2am last year for sure

I am equally glad and sad that the comment resonated with you. Sorry you had the experience but glad you don’t want to do it again if need be. Be prepared.

 

[BrooksBoysPool]

I am equally glad and sad that the comment resonated with you. Sorry you had the experience but glad you don’t want to do it again if need be. Be prepared.

Plan is to be prepared. It's still 90 but the water dropped like 5 degrees and my anxiety started

 

[Texas Splash]

We generally know when the hard freezes are coming. What we don't know is if blackouts will be imposed or when which was the big problem last Feb. But if you have some basic supplies on-hand just in case, coupled with a good knowledge of your equipment and actions to take if there is an extended power outage, you should be fine. We'll be here as well if you still have questions.

 

[zea3]

As far as my fellow Texans are concerned, until we get word that the power grid has been repaired/replaced and is able to handle weather emergencies, assume you will lose power for days in a hard freeze and prepare accordingly. We have had hard freezes that were just as long in the past so no one expected this catastrophic level of failure.