I just bought a house/pool (August) and this is my first winter as a pool owner. I thought I'd let the people who installed the pool close for me this first year, and I would learn from them. Question, does their skimmer solution sound like I'll be ok for the winter? I'm in Oklahoma and it's supposed to be 6 degrees in a couple of days..
They closed by putting a plastic bottle, filled with anti-freeze, into the skimmer. I asked about draining the water below the skimmer level; they responded that it is better to leave the water level at the tile height (the tiles above the gunite) because if ice is going to break something then the tiles are easier to replace than the gunite. They said the skimmer would be ok because the anti-freeze bottle would take the expanding ice and not the plastic skimmer.
I see in one of TFP's in-ground pool closing threads - "Drain - Pump the water down till it is about four inches below the bottom of the returns."
TFP has been my guide so far and it looks like my pool store closed differently than is recommended here. Will I be ok, or should I drain?
I'm getting nervous as winter is almost here.
thanks
Mike
They closed by putting a plastic bottle, filled with anti-freeze, into the skimmer. I asked about draining the water below the skimmer level; they responded that it is better to leave the water level at the tile height (the tiles above the gunite) because if ice is going to break something then the tiles are easier to replace than the gunite. They said the skimmer would be ok because the anti-freeze bottle would take the expanding ice and not the plastic skimmer.
I see in one of TFP's in-ground pool closing threads - "Drain - Pump the water down till it is about four inches below the bottom of the returns."
TFP has been my guide so far and it looks like my pool store closed differently than is recommended here. Will I be ok, or should I drain?
I'm getting nervous as winter is almost here.
thanks
Mike