Keep pool open in winter (Northern VA)??

[jtm60]

This question is on behalf of my brother...he's got a pretty large pool (48k gallons), gunite..we were discussing chemical costs, etc..and he mentioned that his biggest expense is typically related to his opening and closing costs. He typically puts on a winter cover, but I think its the type that allows water to pass through..

Would it be possible to leave it open, and keep the filter running (and maybe run the heater if necessary) to prevent freezing? We also discussed that he might benefit from a solar cover during the winter.

Even if it was a break even proposition, it might be worth it for him to do, just to reduce maintenance.

Anyone in this neck of the woods doing this? Is there a limit on how far north you can go before leaving the pool 'open' through the winter is not an option? Its fairly mild in the winter where he is, but it does get cold enough for a hard freeze.

Any thoughts/knowledge on this subject would be appreciated..

thanks,

john

 

[muss08]

I would not by any means recommend it. I work in the DC/MD/VA area and even with the pumps running the water can still freeze if the conditions are right. Two winters ago the air temp dropped below 10 degrees for over a week with wind chills in the -20s. However, one client in DC insisted on staying open over the winter and was fine. His system ran 24 hrs the whole winter. If your brother insists on it he needs to have a gas heater. A heat pump wont work at temps that low. His heating bill will be expensive as will his electric.

 

[jtm60]

thanks for the info..i know he's got a 400k propane heater..he's southeast of DC, in the 'northern neck' area, approx. 50 miles east of fredricksburg.

 

[tnthudson]

Don't know if you can check with a local PB with good experience & reputation, but my PB says he keeps his open all winter (central VA, family business he took over from his dad, ALOT of experience)...I think I'm going to talk to him later this summer and give it a shot this year. From what I've gathered so far, you can cover your pool until the leaves fall, then uncover it & run the pump a certain amount each day...may be just a tad harder in northern VA but ask around, I think it can be done. And wouldn't it be cool to see the pool all year? He says one reason he does it is because his pool has a view from every room in the house except one.