Closing pool vs. keeping it open all winter

[tnthudson]

OK here's my dilemma, I've been holding this question to end-of-season, even though I've been wanting to ask it all summer:
How feasible/expensive/reasonable is it to keep my pool open all winter instead of shutting it down, and how would I go about it?
My local PB (central VA) mentioned to me back in May, when I was purchasing a SWG, that he keeps his pool open all winter (he may cover it for a few weeks as the leaves are falling, but then he uncovers it and keeps it open for the winter).
This got me thinking
I live in VA, where we do get sub-freezing weather, but not the entire winter. How would this work? Do you just leave the pool open (same water level, etc.) and just run your pump 2 or maybe 4 hours/day, unless temps. dip below freezing? Then you run the pump 24/7 while temps are below freezing?
And do you keep the water balanced at all, or just ignore until springtime?
Any other issues besides the pump running?
thanks 8)

 

[mas985]

I think you captured most everything except perhaps that you will be using much less chlorine as the temperature of the water drops and when it gets below 50, you probably won't need much at all.

I don't close my pool but we never get cold enough to freeze the water in the pool or the pipes for that matter. Sometimes I will shut the pump off while the water is below 50 degrees since the SWG doesn't work and algae is not a problem. But that is usually not more than a few weeks a year.

Also, I run the pump about 2 hours per day and test every other week. It is a good idea to keep everything in balance although as I mentioned before, you can drop the chlorine level quite a bit when water temp drops.

 

[JasonLion]

There are two possible issues with leaving a pool open in your climate. If the weather is significantly colder than usual, very unlikely I know, you might get a freeze hard enough to cause problems even with the pump running. Also, if there is a regular hard freeze and you lose electricity overnight you could have damage. Neither of these are likely, but they are a small risk.

Other than those small risks, it is really quite easy. Pump run time can often be cut back all the way to one hour a day. You do keep the water mostly balanced, but that gets to be really easy. You hardly have to bother with chlorine at all when the water temperature is below 50, once a week or less.

 

[mitch08]

IMO, in that area it is not worth the risk. You aren't going to use the pool in the freezing cold anyway...

If those pipes freeze and break, you are looking at a very expensive fix.
Much more expensive than the $200 it would cost to hire a guy to blow out the lines and throw a cover on it

In my humble opinion, drop the level, take apart your filter and put it away, and blow out your lines. No reason to risk a major problem for something you arent going to use.

 

[waste]

I worked in Richmond for 7 years, doing pools. There was 1 we left open, but the equipment was inside and the heater ran all year. As partial insurance we wrapped insulation around all exposed pipes - which I think would help you even if the power went out for a couple of hours on the coldest night.

It's your choice and decision to make, but if I had the option to keep a pool open all year - I would!

 

[tnthudson]

cool, thanks everyone!
I'm still debating it, but this is alot to think about.
thanks again