General question about winterizing

[avspin]

I've been winterizing my own pool for about 13 years after helping my pool builder with it the first few years. Never had any issues. We get temps here during the winter in the single digits. Anyway I lower the pool level to about 3" below the skimmer and blow & plug the lines. I read about people lowering the water to below the returns. For me to do that it would require another 16-18 inches of water. Which way is correct? Have I been lucky or am I doing it right?
Thanks

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Depends on your frost line and how deep the pipes are buried. While your air temps might hit single digits, I doubt your ground temps get that low. If your returns are as low as you indicate, then they are likely below your frost line and so you’ve been ok just blowing them out with air and sealing them. If you had deeper freeze conditions than that, then keeping the water out and adding antifreeze would be the way to go. But that then requires significantly more work, removal of the antifreeze and a lot more replacement water each year.

If what you e done in the past works, then I wouldn’t go trying something new. It takes very long and hard freeze conditions to freeze up a pool of water. I’d be more worried about your above ground equipment and pipes and focus more on protecting those from freeze damage than anything below ground.

 

[avspin]

Thanks. Everything above ground is completely empty. I will continue the way I have been.