Crazy Temps; Should I Try to Lower Water?

[Joeten30]

Moved from HERE

Bumping this thread since I'm in the same boat.

Live in MA. Been crazy rainy here this winter with some wildly fluctuating temps and snow / snow melt.
When I closed and winterized my pool in October, I drained 16 inches below top of pool since that's what Loop-Loc recommended. My water level is nearly at my coping now and I don't know what I should do. I have a submersible pump and hose ready to go, only issue is that there's a decently thick layer of ice on the top of my pool. I can pull the cover back just fine, so that's not an issue. Do I break up some of the ice and pump the water below it? I'm worried the ice will drop with he water causing it to tear the liner walls. Or do I ride it out until a full thaw and then pump? Or should I pump on TOP of the cover (since its mesh) and just pump the excess top water off that way?

Tomorrow it's going to be 65 degrees (insane, right?) so I'm thinking there could be a decent thaw.

I just spent 6k on this liner last summer and really don't want to be going into my pockets again this summer for it.

Someone please give me suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[Newdude]

Let it be. It will still take a while to completely thaw under the cover. Its not worth your $6k liner being slashed.

Next year plan on removing about 3 ft of off season precipitation. Its your choice if you want to drain a foot 3 times or any maths equivalent. Also keep an eye on the long range forcast and time that last drain right before the big freeze. That should buy you the time it stays frozen to collect whatever falls in that time.

 

[Joeten30]

Let it be. It will still take a while to completely thaw under the cover. Its not worth your $6k liner being slashed.

Next year plan on removing about 3 ft of off season precipitation. Its your choice if you want to drain a foot 3 times or any maths equivalent. Also keep an eye on the long range forcast and time that last drain right before the big freeze. That should buy you the time it stays frozen to collect whatever falls in that time.

Thanks for the info! I'm still kinda bugging out about it. 65 degrees today and still frozen. Ice is basically even with the very top of the pool at the coping.... and we're getting a foot of snow Friday. Insane weather.

So I should just let it ride even if it completely goes over the coping? Just drain it when it's totally thawed?

 

[Newdude]

So I should just let it ride even if it completely goes over the coping? Just drain it when it's totally thawed?

Yes. At worst there may be a few coping tiles damaged. They probably won't be. If you slash the liner you'll have alot bigger (and costlier) problem.

 

[Joeten30]

Yes. At worst there may be a few coping tiles damaged. They probably won't be. If you slash the liner you'll have alot bigger (and costlier) problem.

I don't have any tiles at the top of my coping =)

I was just mainly worried about water getting behind the liner and freezing / expanding causing the liner to pop out or causing issues to the pool walls. Not even sure if those issues are legit or now. I'm prob just buggin out.

 

[Newdude]

don't have any tiles at the top of my coping =)

Bricks, tiles, stones, pieces, 38 ft troughs. Whatever you'd like to call them.

I was just mainly worried about water getting behind the liner and freezing / expanding

The fastest way to get water behind the liner is to slash it with razor sharp melting ice. Or to disturb a floating ice rink that smashes into the other side with a truckload of kinetic energy.

Not even sure if those issues are legit or now

They are legit issues but rare. Think of how many folks by us 'snowbird' and head south for 5 months. They aren't even here to see what happens as it happens. They overwhelmingly return to a full pool and think it just happened.

If it gets as high as the coping any new water will likely drain out under the patio. If left like that for months it could undermine the patio base, but yours will only be a week or two.

I'm prob just buggin out.

You are. And it's a good thing. It cemented in your brain that next year you need to plan ahead for the big freeze. That way, when you get a foot of precipitation total between ice/snow/rain, you'll have 2 inches to spare.

My pool could handle 18 inches. I started there, and drained another 18 inches just before the big freeze. In the early spring I popped the cover and was pretty much on the money.