Covering without “closing”

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ajbmtb

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Jul 4, 2023
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Tennessee
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Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Brand new pool. Never closed before. Incredibly overwhelmed and just not in a place to learn to do this myself this year. No luck finding a pool company to close for us for an even half way reasonable price (we are in the middle of no where).

If I leave the water where it is, put the cover on, & run the pump a few hours/day ..what is the worst case scenario? Is this a crazy idea?

Tennessee winter is extremely unpredictable but I could easily run the pump around the clock if temps dropped too low - by the way, what is “too low”?

Interested to hear what you all think about this ..it seems entirely too simple so I’m sure there has to be a few cons.
 
ajbmtb said:
Brand new pool. Never closed before. Incredibly overwhelmed and just not in a place to learn to do this myself this year. No luck finding a pool company to close for us for an even half way reasonable price (we are in the middle of no where).

If I leave the water where it is, put the cover on, & run the pump a few hours/day ..what is the worst case scenario? Is this a crazy idea?

Tennessee winter is extremely unpredictable but I could easily run the pump around the clock if temps dropped too low - by the way, what is “too low”?

Interested to hear what you all think about this ..it seems entirely too simple so I’m sure there has to be a few cons.
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What part of TN?

The issue will be if it gets cold enough for an extended period of time, any water in the pipes that freezes will expand and crack the pipe, the skimmer, filter, pump, heater, etc. That’s super expensive to fix so you don’t want frozen water in anything.

It all unpredictable, but last winter we got some pretty cold few weeks and I had a solid inch of ice in the pool. At the very least, you should figure out how to install a “gizmo” in the skimmer (or stuff it full of pool noodles) as well as drain any above ground equipment. I’d recommend finding an adapter that can screw into one of your pump drain plugs and use an air compressor on low pressure to push out any water in the above ground portion of the pipe on the equipment pad.

Water will freeze when it gets down to 32F. Having it get down that cold overnight isn’t that big of a deal but having it like that for 3 days and nights would be a problem. You should definitely run the pump 24x7 if there’s a risk of below 32F temps.
 
Bperry said:
What part of TN?

The issue will be if it gets cold enough for an extended period of time, any water in the pipes that freezes will expand and crack the pipe, the skimmer, filter, pump, heater, etc. That’s super expensive to fix so you don’t want frozen water in anything.

It all unpredictable, but last winter we got some pretty cold few weeks and I had a solid inch of ice in the pool. At the very least, you should figure out how to install a “gizmo” in the skimmer (or stuff it full of pool noodles) as well as drain any above ground equipment. I’d recommend finding an adapter that can screw into one of your pump drain plugs and use an air compressor on low pressure to push out any water in the above ground portion of the pipe on the equipment pad.

Water will freeze when it gets down to 32F. Having it get down that cold overnight isn’t that big of a deal but having it like that for 3 days and nights would be a problem. You should definitely run the pump 24x7 if there’s a risk of below 32F temps.
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East TN. My pump has a thing where I can set it to kick on at certain temps. If I set it to 32F - would I be good to go?
 
Also - here’s the closing guide- it’s not terribly complicated to diy
www.google.com

Closing an In Ground Pool

Winterizing a pool is essential for keeping your in-ground pool protected during cold-weather months. This Pool Repair guide will show you how to do it.
www.google.com www.google.com
I am further south than you & my pool has gotten frozen solid for a spell every winter for the last several years so I winterize. Granted I do have an above ground pool.
 
ajbmtb said:
East TN. My pump has a thing where I can set it to kick on at certain temps. If I set it to 32F - would I be good to go?
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It’s not quite that simple. I’d actually set it to something like 38F or just keep the pump running. Also need to have a plan for a power outage. Note that moving water can still freeze if it’s below 32F long enough.

It doesn’t stay below 32F for very long over here so you might be ok. It’s the left over side of “might” that you need to worry about because the penalty of failure is $$$$.
 
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Thank you all for the input! I will most likely still have the pool company come out and close this year ..I was just trying to figure out if I could get away without it. Cutting corners is never the right answer though. Thanks for reminding me.
 
ajbmtb said:
Thank you all for the input! I will most likely still have the pool company come out and close this year ..I was just trying to figure out if I could get away without it. Cutting corners is never the right answer though. Thanks for reminding me.
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Many here at TFP close their own pools just like the pros - no cutting corners necessary, just less $$.
After you do it once the subsequent years are a cakewalk.
if you’re inclined to go this route just ask questions & the folks here will get you going on the right path for your setup.
Its still a bit early yet - my water was 66 degrees this morning! So you have some time.
Many here go with the “soft closing” method in which they put the cover on because of debris but continue to run & maintain the pool on a reduced schedule until the water temps are 60 or below then proceed with the raising of fc to slam level & wintering.
That’s what I do- my cover has been on for several days. My swcg & pump will run on a reduced schedule to maintain slam level until I pull the plug after the temps drop & winterize.
 
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Mdragger88 said:
Many here at TFP close their own pools just like the pros - no cutting corners necessary, just less $$.
After you do it once the subsequent years are a cakewalk.
if you’re inclined to go this route just ask questions & the folks here will get you going on the right path for your setup.
Its still a bit early yet - my water was 66 degrees this morning! So you have some time.
Many here go with the “soft closing” method in which they put the cover on because of debris but continue to run & maintain the pool on a reduced schedule until the water temps are 60 or below then proceed with the raising of fc to slam level & wintering.
That’s what I do- my cover has been on for several days. My swcg & pump will run on a reduced schedule to maintain slam level until I pull the plug after the temps drop & winterize.
Click to expand...
Water in east TN is still 58F so it looks like we have at least to the end of November to worry about freezing. More likely through middle of December will be fine as well.
 
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+3. We walk several through their first rodeo each season both with opening and closing. 95% of it is in your head. If you attempt it, the light bulb goes off immediately once you shove the blower hose in somewhere and a geyser comes out the other end. You are already a pro at working your system and then you just cycle though all the options to get all the legs.

Buy once, cry once. Get a cyclone and it will remove so much of the worry when you throw a rooster tail out the corresponding exit. They seem spendy, but with one use per season, it will last a generation or more and will cost a measly $10 to $20 a season.

Many companies charge more than the cyclone and its free the first year. Some areas it's so expensive, like mine, we could have bought 2 cyclones and broke even the first DIY.

Rest assured we will hold you hand, hatch a plan, and walk you though it. :)
 
Y’all are right. I need to suck it up and do this. No sense in wasting money with the pool company or risking a freezing nightmare. Cyclone is ordered. Husband says he can make one of these (see pic). If he can, and I follow the closing instructions in pool school, when it is time to blow out the lines - can I just switch the lids and blow all the lines out at once?
 

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ajbmtb said:
Y’all are right. I need to suck it up and do this. No sense in wasting money with the pool company or risking a freezing nightmare. Cyclone is ordered. Husband says he can make one of these (see pic). If he can, and I follow the closing instructions in pool school, when it is time to blow out the lines - can I just switch the lids and blow all the lines out at once?
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Whenever you want though I’d advise doing it before snow falls on the ground cause it stinks working with wet stuff outside when it’s freezing.
 
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Bperry said:
Whenever you want though I’d advise doing it before snow falls on the ground cause it stinks working with wet stuff outside when it’s freezing.
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The wording I used was confusing lol I was trying to ask if I could blow all the lines out at once if I get that cover that I can hook directly to the cyclone!
 
With a cyclone you can likely blow the whole system right from the skimmer(s). If the cyclone hose is bigger than the skimmer pipe, you can just hold it in place and some air escaping is fine. If the hose is too small for the opening, fatten it up with duct tape.
 
Newdude said:
With a cyclone you can likely blow the whole system right from the skimmer(s). If the cyclone hose is bigger than the skimmer pipe, you can just hold it in place and some air escaping is fine. If the hose is too small for the opening, fatten it up with duct tape.
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I think I’m going to try that this year.
 
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