Closing in Texas, few questions unanswered by search and pool school

[sbalberti]

Like others that live in the south, I plan on leaving my pool open through winter. From searching, I've gathered that once the water temp gets 50 or below, I don't have to worry about algae. I don't have a spa so I don't have to worry about that. I need to maintain FC and PH just like I did though the summer and my daily FC loss won't be as much as it was through the summer. I'll need to keep my pool circulating at least 12 hrs a day, unless the temps are near freezing, then i'll need to circulate 24/7 and have my spillway and fountains run 24/7. My ET 8 has freeze protection and is set up for the pumps to run at freezing temps. Cover equip with tarp during freezing periods. I have a welding blanket I plan to use. My questions are 1. Do I still need to test daily or is weekly fine? 2. Do I still need to run the in floor cleaner? 3. Do I still need to brush weekly? Thanks in advance!

 

[YippeeSkippy]

You don't need to run the pump that long per day during the winter. Just a couple of hours a day to keep the pool skimmed and clean, and chlorine circulating thru all the pipes including the in-floor ones. You'll probably find if you test once a week nothings changed for the most part. Just add your chlorine or other chems when testing shows a need. My pool usually needs nothing in winter. Don't cover any heater system.

Maddie