Dallas Peeps - How To Prepare for the Cold?

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lardo5150

lardo5150

0
Apr 13, 2017
280
Little Elm Texas
So, with the temps here in Dallas this morning at 40, got me thinking of what I need to do, to get ready for winter.

Do we have a guide somewhere, anything special I need to do?

I know my Jandy has the freeze control, do I need to set anything, or just let everything be?
When it is going to be cold, do I need to adjust the pump schedule so it runs non stop?
Cover any of the equipment with blankets?

Anything special need to be done with the water?
 
You have the right idea if you chose to keep the pool open. Chemical treatment will be a piece of cake. The SWG will probably turn off when the water gets cold, so you'll chlorinate manually with some regular bleach from time to time. Have some materials available to cover/protect your equipment pad from the elements. Owners have used various quilts/blankets, plastic, and even kept a small work light under those things to retain some heat for the pump, filter, and/or above ground PVC as needed. Usually as long as the water is still moving things go well. It's when power goes out and the water stops moving that we see more problems occur. So you may need to check/adjust the freeze settings to meet your needs. Try to keep water moving during those extended hard freeze periods.

If you chose to close, you can refer to our Pool School - Closing an In Ground Pool page for details to help.
 
Very cool thanks.

i will have to get into the control panel (app) and look at the freeze guard settings. They showed me back several months ago but I forgot.

Do I need to adjust the pump schedule when I know it is going to be super cold or does the freeze guard take care of all that?
 
Anyone have any pics of how they cover their equipment (if they do) during the winter?
I was thinking of making a simple PVC "cage" and put a tarp over that. This is just to keep the freezing rain off the equipment.
Any other suggestions for a cover, something simple that I don't have to build.

Ignore the blue arrow, I used this same picture for something else on the forums.

 
Lardo,

That sounds like a pretty good idea to me...

I run my pump 24/7 so don't do anything different for winter. If I didn't, I would set up a 24/7 schedule that I would use anytime the temperature was expected to be below freezing for more than 12 hours. A low RPM is fine, as long as the water is moving.. For a week or two last winter I also used a tarp with an old style light bulb to add a little heat.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
As a user who closes their pool every winter I’d like to toss out a suggestion. Before it hits freezing, take a few minutes and go over how you would close your pool IF needed. Last winter we saw some cold spells that occurred when the power was out and the pump couldn’t be ran 24/7. Spending an hour now while it’s warm learning how to close will give you a head start IF problems hit later this winter.
 
In a situation like that with loss of power, in a area that does not typically get that cold and the likelihood of freezing much below ground is low, I think I would do the following:

Remove drain plugs from pump, filter, heaters.
Open lids / vents on pump and filter to aid draining

At that point, all the water should be drained from anything above ground and most likely to get damaged and the water level in the pipes would match that of the pool water level (obviously this only works for in-ground pools where the equipment is above the pool water level).

Maybe blow out the pipes that are above ground just to ensure no water is trapped.
And then keep a tarp over all the equipment which will still retain some heat under it.

I am not sure the temp has been below freezing for more than a few hours where I am, so I had not really considered this scenario before.
Open to other member's thoughts.
 
The largest thing to do now is to quickly learn how to do what you mentioned Jason. It’s ALOT easier to do this now when 60° weather is considered cold verses in a few months when 30° weather is considered cold.

Don’t wait till Dec to learn where your drain plugs are.
 
As i promised
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It got down to single digits here in East Texas last year with highs in the teens for several days in a row. Brrrr...
I just kept my pump running 24/7, covered my equipment with a tarp and put a light under it. My pool and plumbing turned out OK. Maybe I was just lucky, I don't know.....

Wish I could say the same for my lawn sprinkler system ! What a pain that turned out to be.
 
Waterfalls are a tricky beast because of various designs and the potential for standing water that can freeze. Depending on your waterfall design (natural rock or contemporary), water can sit various cracks and mortar areas then swell. Unless it's a simple spillover-type feature, it may not be as easy and clean as leaving pump running for the protection of the pump and main lines. If it were me, I'd blow out the line to the waterfall and let it dry as best as possible. Just keep it inactive for the winter.
 
L,

I have a stacked-stone wall with three waterfalls. For the past 4 years I have done nothing special for them during the winter. I run my pump at a low RPM 24/7, so I don't worry about freezing weather, within reason. The waterfall runs for 15 minutes a day, which has never failed to run, so I have to "assume" that the waterfalls and plumbing have never frozen.

The only time you need to really worry, is if it is going to be below freezing for days in a row..

I like the idea of shutting the waterfall down for the winter, but depending on your plumbing, that might be pretty hard to do.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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