'Less is more' winterizing plan. Thoughts?

[NewDad]

We’ve got a 16’ round Doughboy metal frame pool, and this will be our first winter with it here in snowy Colorado.


I was looking at the micro mesh sort of winter cover idea, but I remembered what our 16’ trampoline (similarly rain-permeable) looked like the winter we left it up, all bowed nearly to the ground as two feet of snow started to melt… and I’m imagining that sort of weight pulling the walls of the pool in to collapse.


Thanks to this forum, I’m not worried about being able to deal with a green pool should I have one in the spring. But a collapse is something else…


What about going as simple as can be: drain the pool down below the skimmer and inlet, remove all the equipment so there’s a couple of holes in the side of the pool, essentially. Then leave the already-beat-up summer solar bubble wrap cover on to catch a non-zero number of leaves, and count on replacing that cover in the spring?


My thought is with two feet of snow on top of the thing, it would displace water safely out the skimmer and inlet holes without putting horizontal pressure on the walls. Then when the snow melted it would be at a similar level. What am I forgetting?

 

[cowboycasey]

I did not even put a bubble cover on this last winter, just drained it down, blew out the lines and capped them, put a gizmo in the skimmer and called it a winter

 

[NewDad]

Gizmo?

 

[Vickery]

Gizzmo. A device to absorb ice expansion in the skimmer: Amazon.com : Gizzmo 4102 Super Gizzmo in Big Deep Skimmers for Pool : Swimming Pool Covers : Patio, Lawn Garden. Link for information only, NOT an endorsement. I use a skimmer cover and return plug...but then if we get more than 2" of snow during the winter we're having a blizzard!

 

[jeffchap]

Unlike your trampoline, the water below the cover will support the weight of any snow piled up on top. So unless you drain it all the way, the cover will only droop to the surface of the water. I don't think you need to worry about strain on the walls.

 

[Lisa_jolene]

We had an intex pool last year and just left it uncovered.
Now we just put up a metal wall pool and am also considering my options for winter. I am in ND where we can see tons of snow. I am really considering not covering as well.

 

[JoeSelf]

Cover to keep all the stuff out. It will make for easier clean up in spring. Leave the cover loose with floats or truck tire tubes secured in the middle of the pool to raise the center of the cover & allow for ice expansion. I use clips and the wire on my cover. Wire to hold firm and the clips keep the cover down & will minimize air under the cover. Water will move to the outside of the pool. You can drain from there. I use 3/8 clear tube inside of 3/4 Grey PVC conduit. Conduit supports the tubing and makes a low spot when draining cover. Off and on as required or it will freeze there.

 

[kplaster]

Learned my lesson on not covering pool.Liner,etc weather and become brittle from the cold.

Sent from my XT1030 using Tapatalk

 

[Gomez9356]

My plan for this year is to do as I have in the past: drain to below the skimmer, leave cover on until most of the leaves have fallen and then just leave it open.

 

[phonedave]

The most time consuming part of my winterization is "detailing" my filter - I take it into the garage and go over it. Clean it very well, check all O- rings, lube everything, torque bolts down correctly, etc. Then it goes into storage.

As for the pool. I run the FC way up there (clearly with the filter running) I drain it a bit - not below the skimmer though - just so it is halfway or less. I put a door on the skimmer, and I keep the skimmer lines open, so any rainwater drains out. I put a plug in the return and do the same thing - keep the return lines open. Then I put on a solid cover with a center float.

During the fall, I try to keep the cover dry (I just start a siphon to get the water off) becasue i find if it is dry, then the leaves just blow off. Once the leaves have all fallen, then rain/snow/ice can all collect on the cover for all I care - in fact it helps hold the cover down. It really is not a big chore for me.

One year I did have an issue. We had a long period of very cold weather, and the pool froze below the return, The wing nut on the return plug got caught in the ice, and when the ice shifted, it pulled out the plug. The pool drained down to the return. Not great, but in the grand scheme of things, not too big a deal either. I use a rubber plug, instead of a threaded plug because I have an Aqualuminator, which does not have interal threads.

-dave