Keeping the pool open in Fayetteville, North Carolina

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J

John2500

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Jul 8, 2018
14
Fayetteville, NC
Can anyone offer any pros and cons of not closing my pool?

I've got a 22,000 gallon, concrete in-ground pool. A friend of mine who used to maintain pools suggested that I may avoid work & chemical costs by simply maintaining my pool over the winter and not closing it. In this scenario, I would continue my current maintenance routine (clean skimmers 3-4 times per week, test water chemistry weekly, skim surface, leaf vac or pool vac as needed). I live in Fayetteville, North Carolina and winters are generally mild. I'd be running the pump frequently enough that I don't think freezing of the lines would be an issue.

I'm also curious exactly how late in the season I can actually swim in it! I had a rather invigorating 15 minute swim yesterday with the water about 68-70 degrees and a 71 degree air temperature.

Thanks for any thoughts, ideas, comments, etc.
 
Very common to keep the pool open in the milder climates that don't typically experience the hard freezes. However still have a plan B ready just in case you experience unusually long freezes like we did last winter. That caught some people off guard. 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.

As for how long you can swim, ....... you can swim as long as you can handle it. ha ha :) :swim:
 
I have a question about that. Is it necessary to keep circulating the water after the water temperatures drop below 60 degrees?

I also live in eastern NC (Greenville area) and also have a similar size pool, except it has a vinyl liner. I've been using a safety cover each year I close the pool but am tired of handling it due to the weight of the cover, and am wondering if it is overkill for closing. This year I am considering instead to cover it with a lighter standard cover or just not cover it at all. My thought was that if I don't cover it, to still drop the water level below the skimmers and winterize the pump, considering that algae won't grow or grow very much in the cold water. I'm looking for feedback to that idea from people in milder climates who don't cover and what they have found to be the best solutions and/or issues from not covering.
 
I have a question about that. Is it necessary to keep circulating the water after the water temperatures drop below 60 degrees?
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Not at all. Minimum pump time will probably be fine. But during hard freezes - yes. Keep the water moving.
 
Thanks for your help. Another question, how are you defining "hard freeze"? Are you talking about circulation during a hard freeze to prevent water in the pool from freezing? I've never seen that when I winterize and use the safety cover. Would that possibly happen without covering? Typically in my area we don't see many periods that remain below freezing for very many days in a row, rarely longer than a week straight and that is infrequent. Last year we had a period a little longer, about 10 days straight of days below freezing and down in the low teens. My pool and pump were winterized, therefore drained and not circulating, and I still didn't see my surface water starting to freeze under the safety cover, but I think that the air between the water surface and the safety cover is also warming the surface water, which is my main concern about not using the safety cover. By not using it am I possibly opening myself up for freezing issues?
 
Yes, keeping water moving to prevent swelling in the lines or equipment. Last season some owners in what we typically consider milder climates experienced some damage. Many cases were due to power interruptions which allowed stagnant water to expand. It would take several days/weeks or sub-freezing temps for the pool's body of water to be effected. I don't think the cover being on or off will have a significant impact on anything other than debris and the water level. But the equipment can see damage faster if water isn't moving. So if/when you suspect temps to fall below freezing for an extended period of time, just make sure to keep the water moving and check periodically to ensure the pump didn't shut off. If power is interrupted, that's when you may need to go into Plan B mode and cover the equipment, perhaps drain some water from the pump basket and/or filter, and watch things a bit closer.

If you still have more questions about closing, I'd consider starting a new thread so that we don't hijack John's original question and his thread here. Easy stuff.
 
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