Help keeping it open all winter

[Nagorg]

Split by moderator from HERE. Please ask questions in your own thread. jblizzle

Hey folks... New to the site and new to pools! Looking for info on how to keep the pool open during the winter. (pump run times, chemical monitoring etc...)

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello fellow Lone Star pool owner. Well, to answer your question, it may depend on if you plan to completely close the pool (disconnecting lines and protecting equipment), or simply leaving it alone and just checking chemicals from time to time. 5 hours south from you, I just leave my pool alone and check the chemicals about once a week or so since the cold water does quite well on its own. You certainly get much colder up there, so that may effect what your plans are. Since I wasn't sure what kind of pool you have, here are the two TFP pages for closing a pool:
Pool School - Closing an In Ground Pool
Pool School - Closing (Winterizing) Your Above Ground Pool
Just pick whichever one applies. If you chose not to do a full-blown close Like some of us a little more south, just make sure your pump runs during nights where there is the potential for a hard freeze. You'll find that checking FC will slow-down significantly, so pool care is really is a breeze. Let us know if you still have questions.

Also, please add your pool info to your signature by going to the top of the TFP web page (just under the Pool School button) and select "SETTINGS". On the next page look to the left for a menu bar that says, “MY SETTINGS” and go to "EDIT SIGNATURE" to enter your pool and equipment info there. It will help us later.

Have a nice weekend!

 

[Nagorg]

Thanks moderator for splitting my question into a new thread!

And thanks to Texas Splash for the reply. (I added a signature about my pool... Your pool looks awesome!)

I have an in-ground pool and want to keep it open all winter. I understand that I dont have to run the pump as long during the winter but am not sure what that means.. My pump control does have a temperature thing on it which is supposed to turn the pump on if it gets to some temp. Hopefully it works! Like you mentioned, our winters aren't generally that bad but it does get freeze for a short while.

Right now I've been trying to get chlorine and pH in check. I've got high CYA (>100) because the previous owners used nothing but the pucks in a floater. I understand from this site that I need to replace ~50-75% of my water to deal with that.

So, in summary I am looking for what I need to do to prepare for the winter and what I should do through the winter for keeping this pool open.

- - - Updated - - -

Okay.. had to fix my signature since it didn't show on last post...

 

[pooldv]

Your pump or pump timer needs to have freeze protection that will turn on the pump when temps drop near freezing. As TS says testing weekly or so is fine. I usually keep FC around 10 and add a gallon of bleach when it drops below 10ish. Chlorine consumption is very low when the water is cold. Run the filter as needed to keep it cleaned and skimmed. You can run it on a timer an hour or two per day or just run it manually from time to time. There isn't usually much debris to filter after the leaves drop.

 

[Texas Splash]

Glad we can help. As for your CYA, you have the right idea - exchange water. As we approach the cooler season, you have to ask yourself if you want to do a partial drain now and adjust chemicals from there, or simply try to maintain a higher FC level somewhat commensurate with that high CYA to keep algae away. Once your water temp drops, you should be okay. You may get some rains over the winter that help to replace/exchange the water in there now which will help to lower the CYA a bit. If you're curious about how high your CYA really is, you can try the CYA Dilution Testing as follows:
Add pool water to bottom of sticker.
Add tap water to top of sticker.
Shake.
Pour out half so mixture is to bottom of sticker.
Add reagent to top of sticker.
Shake.
Test outside with back to sun and tube at waist level.
Pour back and forth a few times to see if you get the same result.
Double the result.
It's not perfect, but it does give you a better idea how much over 100 you may be.

 

[MarianParoo]

Do you have a main drain? A way to shut-off your skimmers?