Anyone use a Self Winterizing Skimmer?

[imalittleturt]

I need to replace my skimmer and I was thinking of buying a self winterizing skimmer. The kind that have a plate that keep water from entering the skimmer so you do not have to drain your pool in the winter. Does anyone have any experience with these or should I just stick with a standard skimmer and drain the pool below the skimmer in the winter. Just a side note I live in Michigan and my pool will freeze solid. Thanks.

 

[PoolGuyNJ]

I like the stainless ones but I don't like having to screw and unscrew them for winter/summer. It plays heck with the threads.

 

[ssabin]

I too live in Michigan and just survived my first winter. After doing (too much??) research on this, I chose to NOT lower my water level and NOT seal up the skimmer. Instead, I placed a plastic beverage bottle, loaded 1/8 full with rocks, along with pieces of cut swimming "noodle" in the skimmer. These items took up the expansion and contraction caused by the ice and my skimmer is fine.

Now, I decided to do that because I have well water, and it's a pain in the George Bush to add clean, filtered water into my pool, so I didn't want to waste any water over the winter. Well, wouldn't you know that with all the rain-snow-rain-freeze we had in the late fall. the weight of water on the cover pushed water out of the pool through the skimmer! So, I'll be adding some water anyways (haven't uncovered yet)!

I've also read that the sealable skimmers aren't 100% certain to be leak-proof either. But you could do the same as I with and also use the plated skimmer for a little extra piece of mind.

To me, the drawback is that you have to lower the water to install the darn thing the first time!