Freezing in Houston

[SuzfromTexas]

It's been below freezing here since about 7am this morning - holding steady around 27 degrees. Very rare to be freezing so many hours.

Plus, it's been sleeting most of the day which means weighted tree branches which can then break on our overhead power lines. Then no more power.

The forecast is for temps to go down to 17 by morning and remain below freezing for a good part of tomorrow.

My auto freeze protection system is working fine, but what do I do if our power goes out?

As long as I have power, would I be better to set my pumps to run continuously rather than the constant on and off cycles of the freeze protection system?

Thanks,
Suz

 

[mknauss]

I would suggest setting your pump on low speed and leave it on. Be aware you may need to adjust valves so everything has water flowing through it.

I would suggest covering your equipment pad and put a drop light under it.

If power is lost you should have a plan on how to drain as much above ground water as possible. Opening the air bleed on the filter let's a lot of the water drain out of the system.

Good luck

 

[zea3]

How much of your plumbing is above ground? Our frost line is about 6" deep, so buried plumbing should be ok. Also your pool water should still be above freezing, and that will help protect the plumbing as well. You should try to wrap any exposed plumbing so that if you lose power it should keep the pipes above freezing temps. If you have a free standing shop light or can safely get to a hardware store to get one that would be good to place near the plumbing under a sheet or blanket. You can also sacrifice some pool noodles and use them to insulate your plumbing.

I would not drain unless it drains directly into a sewage line. Draining the water onto the ground in these conditions is going to create an ice hazard wherever it pools. You especially don't want that on your driveway or the street!

 

[pooldv]

Low tonight is SEVEN degrees. That really doesn't even count as number in my book. We've spent quite a few days recently with temps below freezing for several days in a row and lows around 15. My pump is set to run 24x7 at 1200 Rom and it has been fine. No ice forming on the surface at all even though lots of ponds around here have frozen over, even some with fountains in the middle. If the power goes out all you can do is hope for the best. Covering the plumbing with blankets will help.

 

[woodyp]

I hear ya' pooldv......I'm more concerned about my palm tree than the pool.

If the power goes out all you can do is hope for the best.

-----------a cheap portable generator is your friend. I just hate dragging it around..........but I have and it has saved my bacon before.

 

[pooldv]

Hmmmm, palm trees ... 7 degrees ... I'm not making any bets on that one!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Depends on the palm tree. Queens would be dead. Sago & Windmill palms will stand a good chance of recovery.

70’s here in Tucson with overnights in the 50’s. Warmest weather for a winter here in a while. I am worried about the opposite problem - early blooms and shoots. I’m concerned my citrus is going to start to push out new growth only to have a late frost (entirely possible) kill it all.

Definitely a crazy winter here in the USA....

 

[woodyp]

Depends on the palm tree. Queens would be dead. Sago & Windmill palms will stand a good chance of recovery.

70’s here in Tucson with overnights in the 50’s. Warmest weather for a winter here in a while. I am worried about the opposite problem - early blooms and shoots. I’m concerned my citrus is going to start to push out new growth only to have a late frost (entirely possible) kill it all.

Definitely a crazy winter here in the USA....

It's a 12 foot tall pindo palm. Put up a 6 pack pooldv!

 

[SuzfromTexas]

Thanks everyone for the advice and reassurances including info on palm trees. Lol!!

I set the pumps to run continuously. My biggest concern is if the power goes out. I'm hoping I will be OK since it seems our power goes out more often on sunny days for no obvious reason. Haha.

I'm not venturing out after dark on possibly icy roads. Even if I would, I'm not sure I could manage a generator on my own. And that's if there are any generators left at the stores.

I don't know what I was thinking. Usually I do a better job planning ahead. But really, 24+ hours of freezing temps in Houston? It just didn't sink in.

If the worst does happen with the power, I have a number of blankets ready to go.

Thanks again!

 

[mas985]

Draining the pad equipment is going to be the most effective and safest method of freeze protection. But it is not necessary to drain the water to the ground. It is very easy to drain the equipment back into the pool as long as the equipment is above water level.

Keep in mind that you may not know for several hours (i.e. over night) if the power goes out which could be enough to freeze the pipes. Also, if you do choose to drain the equipment, you can use an empty soda or milk bottle with rocks in the bottom to protect the skimmers from freezing solid.

This may be of interest to you: The Physics of Freezing and Freeze Protection

 

[SuzfromTexas]

That's great, Mark. I think draining the pad equipment is my best bet if there's a possibility of losing power during a hard freeze. I'd rather do the drain ahead of time rather than waking up every hour like I did last night.

I'm taking notes on all the suggestions I read, so I'm better prepared if there's a next time. Generally, though, the rare freezing temps we get only last a few hours.

Thanks, also, for the link.

Take care,
Suz

 

[mas985]

If temps stay above 20F for less than 8 hours per night, there is little chance of freezing anyway (except very small diameter pipe). That is usually our situation here so I don't bother with freeze protection.

 

[SuzfromTexas]

If temps stay above 20F for less than 8 hours per night, there is little chance of freezing anyway (except very small diameter pipe). That is usually our situation here so I don't bother with freeze protection.

Thanks so much! Now we're getting down to some clearer parameters I can follow. I'd rather not discover these through trial and error!