Freeze

[Katiesmom2000]

We are in southeast Texas and don’t do freezing and snow….but will be next week. We have a new 15,000 gallon hard side, hard plumbed, semi inground AGP with SWG. We do not winterize as we sometimes swim in December.
We have had AGP for over 25 years but all soft sided and easy to prepare for our occasional freezes.
With four straight days below freezing expected we aren’t sure what to do. This is our first hard side and I’m afraid we will get a sheet of ice that will push the walls out. We do plan to run the pump 24/7. Please help with suggestions.

 

[PoolStored]

You really have two choices...keep the water flowing or winterize.

Your water is not close to freezing temps, circulating warm water will keep everything nice. Run 24/7.

The only real issue with keeping the water flowing is if you lose power...

Even in that case, you have two days with highs above freezing and lows of 20 and 26. Even at those rates, it will take 10-15 hours to freeze a 1.5' PVC pipe.

Do you have PVC plumbing or is it something else?
Do you have a generator?

The Physics of Freezing and Freeze Protection

Recently, there have been a lot of questions from those living in moderate climates about using automatic freeze protection or running pumps to prevent freezing and what a pool owner should do when temperatures drop so I thought it might be useful to have a thread which dealt with the issue from...

www.troublefreepool.com

Preparing Pool for Cooler Months - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Newdude]

This is our first hard side and I’m afraid we will get a sheet of ice that will push the walls out.

Aim the return a little higher for more surface movement. No need for a rooster tail, just some ripples.

Post pics of the plumbing and equipment so we can see what you have to work with.

 

[JJ_Tex]

We are much further north than you and only expecting 2 days below freezing (Mon & Tues). By "4 straight days below freezing" I'm assuming you really just mean 4 straight nights where the lows get below freezing? Thats a normal winter for us and you will be fine just keeping pump running so water stays moving through the pipes. It is a good idea to have a plan in case you have power or equipment failure so you can quickly spring into action and drain your equipment if needed.

Below is our forecast and I'm just planning on letting freeze protection do its thing and have a plan B ready if something goes wrong.

 

[Katiesmom2000]

 

[Katiesmom2000]

Aim the return a little higher for more surface movement. No need for a rooster tail, just some ripples.

Post pics of the plumbing and equipment so we can see what you have to work with.

I posted the pics on the reply below. Thank you!

 

[Katiesmom2000]

We are much further north than you and only expecting 2 days below freezing (Mon & Tues). By "4 straight days below freezing" I'm assuming you really just mean 4 straight nights where the lows get below freezing? Thats a normal winter for us and you will be fine just keeping pump running so water stays moving through the pipes. It is a good idea to have a plan in case you have power or equipment failure so you can quickly spring into action and drain your equipment if needed.

Below is our forecast and I'm just planning on letting freeze protection do its thing and have a plan B ready if something goes wrong.


View attachment 624820

Yes four nights but they are predicting up to 6 inches of snow and ice. Reminds me of 2003!

 

[Katiesmom2000]

Yes four nights but they are predicting up to 6 inches of snow and ice. Reminds me of 2003!

2004

 

[JJ_Tex]

Yes four nights but they are predicting up to 6 inches of snow and ice. Reminds me of 2003!

Wow, thats fun. Growing up in Houston I only remember snow twice in my 18 year childhood, and in reality it was only about 2 inches of sleet/ice/snow. We were lucky we didn't kill someone in the snowball fights.

You should be fine, just keep the pump running and water in the pipes will not freeze. Take a look during the day and have a plan in case something breaks or power goes out so you can quickly "winterize" which would be:
1. Turn off your equipment, including the circuit breaker
2. Drain the sand filter, likely a black dain near the bottom that unscrews
3. Drain the pump (likely 1 or 2 thumb screws)
4. Open up the lid to the pump, make sure no valves are closed off
5. Put a sweater on the dog and pray you don't have any damage

 

[Newdude]

There are two legs before the pump, skimmer and what ? Main drain ?

You can close the valve on the return to stop that flow. Why doesn't the skimmer have a valve also ? Do you plug that with a rubber stopper ?

Does it flood the equipment pad when you clean the pump basket ?

 

[Katiesmom2000]

There are two legs before the pump, skimmer and what ? Main drain ?

You can close the valve on the return to stop that flow. Why doesn't the skimmer have a valve also ? Do you plug that with a rubber stopper ?

Does it flood the equipment pad when you clean the pump basket ?

There are two bottom drains. The legs are for the bottom drains and the skimmer. There is also a main shut off at the skimmer. It can be completely closed to clean the basket.

 

[Katiesmom2000]

You really have two choices...keep the water flowing or winterize.

Your water is not close to freezing temps, circulating warm water will keep everything nice. Run 24/7.

The only real issue with keeping the water flowing is if you lose power...

Even in that case, you have two days with highs above freezing and lows of 20 and 26. Even at those rates, it will take 10-15 hours to freeze a 1.5' PVC pipe.

Do you have PVC plumbing or is it something else?
Do you have a generator?

The Physics of Freezing and Freeze Protection

Recently, there have been a lot of questions from those living in moderate climates about using automatic freeze protection or running pumps to prevent freezing and what a pool owner should do when temperatures drop so I thought it might be useful to have a thread which dealt with the issue from...

www.troublefreepool.com

Preparing Pool for Cooler Months - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

PVC and no generator. We are considering a gas pool heater. But that won’t help us this freeze.

 

[Katiesmom2000]

Wow, thats fun. Growing up in Houston I only remember snow twice in my 18 year childhood, and in reality it was only about 2 inches of sleet/ice/snow. We were lucky we didn't kill someone in the snowball fights.

You should be fine, just keep the pump running and water in the pipes will not freeze. Take a look during the day and have a plan in case something breaks or power goes out so you can quickly "winterize" which would be:
1. Turn off your equipment, including the circuit breaker
2. Drain the sand filter, likely a black dain near the bottom that unscrews
3. Drain the pump (likely 1 or 2 thumb screws)
4. Open up the lid to the pump, make sure no valves are closed off
5. Put a sweater on the dog and pray you don't have any damage

Thank you. The dog thinks she’s part husky and loves the cold!

 

[Newdude]

There is also a main shut off at the skimmer. It can be completely closed to clean the basket.

In a power outage during a big freeze, close those 2 valves because you always have and it works and then follow JJs steps above.

Without a power outage, just run the pump and get some good ripples going. There will be LOTS of movement at the skimmer with the 2 so close, so ice there is unlikely and you'll retain good suction.