Yes, when the power went out, I removed the plugs from the pump and cartridge filter, and thereby drained the water. Everything survived, and the water is clear and nice now. Just a bit too cold for a swim at this time though. I'll wait another week or two until the temps stabilize.
I still think your best bet is to keep water running through the pipes, generally via freeze protection. But also know your equipment and have a solid plan to quickly drain your equipment if needed.
Well the other big issue was that it wasn’t normal water freezing. It was water that had been kept from freezing by circulation. So it was already several/many degrees below freezing when the power went out. Instead of taking hours to freeze it took 30 minutes with that big head start.
Very true. I sleep with the fan going, even when it is that cold outside. I got lucky and woke up at 2:30 AM when we had our first power outage since it was eerily quiet. I think the tarp over the equipment pad helped buy me some time too before stuff started freezing, and luckily the power came back on literally as I was grabbing my tools and flashlight to start draining stuff.
I get your situation completely, and every part of the pool system was mysterious at first. I embarked on a mission to map the entire pool system, and this has proved invaluable especially during the winter storm.
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this is great!I get your situation completely, and every part of the pool system was mysterious at first. I embarked on a mission to map the entire pool system, and this has proved invaluable especially during the winter storm.
To start with, I suggest that you: (i) identify the pump's brand name and model number, look up its manual online, and note down how to drain it (usually you have to unscrew a small roughly 1-inch plug at the base of the pump); and (ii) identify the water filter's brand and model, and locate its drain plug (naturally, you should expect it to be close to the base of the filter).
Do remember to keep a decent flashlight, basic tools, gloves, etc. handy in case this stuff has to be done at night!
There are more expert members on this forum who can shine more light on this topic. In the interim, here is the link to a YouTube description of crisis-mode equipment draining:
In the future, I am leaning towards pre-emptively draining my equipment before the big freeze, instead of the last-minute brinkmanship.
Finally, I wish the equipment manufacturers start listening to non-expert users like us, and redesign the systems to make the key parts like drain plugs easier to find. To start with, put a sticker with EMERGENCY instructions, label the drain plugs, make them all similar in size and shape so one does not need multiple tools to operate them, and manufacture the plugs in brightly colored plastic instead of black. Make the knobs big and easy to locate. How about bright yellow
Perhaps, they could make all of the draining happen at the press of a button
The possibilities for progress are endless.
Thank you! Great ideas. We will do our homework and be better prepared next winter.I get your situation completely, and every part of the pool system was mysterious at first. I embarked on a mission to map the entire pool system, and this has proved invaluable especially during the winter storm.
To start with, I suggest that you: (i) identify the pump's brand name and model number, look up its manual online, and note down how to drain it (usually you have to unscrew a small roughly 1-inch plug at the base of the pump); and (ii) identify the water filter's brand and model, and locate its drain plug (naturally, you should expect it to be close to the base of the filter).
Do remember to keep a decent flashlight, basic tools, gloves, etc. handy in case this stuff has to be done at night!
There are more expert members on this forum who can shine more light on this topic. In the interim, here is the link to a YouTube description of crisis-mode equipment draining:
In the future, I am leaning towards pre-emptively draining my equipment before the big freeze, instead of the last-minute brinkmanship.
Finally, I wish the equipment manufacturers start listening to non-expert users like us, and redesign the systems to make the key parts like drain plugs easier to find. To start with, put a sticker with EMERGENCY instructions, label the drain plugs, make them all similar in size and shape so one does not need multiple tools to operate them, and manufacture the plugs in brightly colored plastic instead of black. Make the knobs big and easy to locate. How about bright yellow
Perhaps, they could make all of the draining happen at the press of a button
The possibilities for progress are endless.
Too bad I have a leak, probably in the light niche, that I don't know how long it will take to get someone to fix it. Water level is stabilized about a foot below skimmer, so starting chem balancing now. I'd been running the robot periodically, manually skimming and tossing in chlorine since the freeze to keep the water clear.
