Letting a fiberglass pool freeze

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J

JohnAJohnson

0
Nov 15, 2010
11
Flippin, AR
I had a Viking Lake Shore fiberglass pool installed three years ago and every winter I've utilized a freeze protection circuit that runs the filter pump anytime the ambient air temperature goes lower than 35 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature here (northern Arkansas) can stay below freezing for weeks at a time and of course this means wear and tear on the pump and a higher electric bill. I always leave the water level half-way up the (two) Waterway Renegade skimmers. The pool has a poured concrete cantilever deck (no tiles, etc.).

Can I allow the first inch or two of the pool water to freeze without hurting the pool or skimmers?

If the skimmers are the concern, can I safely lower the water level to barely below the skimmers and fill them with antifreeze, then allow the pool water to freeze? The mechanical equipment (pump, filter, SWG, pipes going to the jets, or coming from the skimmers) is all protected in an enclosed room so there is no possibility of that stuff freezing.

Any insight or advice is appreciated!

A few pictures:

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i've had a fiberglass pool for 15 years now and have closed it every year with no problems. i drain to just below skimmer, winterize the pump and lines, cover the pool and wait for spring.
 
duraleigh said:
John,

My curiosity is killing me....is that a screen enclosure? In Arkansas? What about snow and Ice loads? I don't think I have ever heard of one North of Orlando.
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Dave, I had the same reservations too :), but decided to give it a try. The guys I bought from (http://www.poolpatioenclosures.com) said they've done installations in NY, Minnesota, Kentucky, North Dakota and Tennessee, and all have had great success. The screen is really strong. One of the 220 pound installers told me on another job, he fell off the beam he was on, and onto a 10' x 10' screen, and it held him fine.

Anyway, it's been up for three years now and it is still tight. The first winter after installation scared me a bit. We had 18" of wet snow in a two day period, and I measured 14" on top of the screen. The screen sagged a bit, and I was ready with a razor knife on the end of a pole if necessary to save the building, but it held. Actually, the beams are so strong I can't imagine anything buckling them. After the snow melted, it went to its usual tightness. Now, two years later, it is still tight as a drum and still keeping out bugs and leaves. I'm in the woods and it is important to me to keep leaves, racoons, snakes, deer, et. al., out of my pool.

I would advise anyone getting one of these to go for the "Super Screen" instead of the regular screen. It is a closer mesh (20/inch if memory serves), and while the 14/inch standard stuff works fine, it lets a lot of dust and dirt in that would probably get trapped by the Super Screen.
 
Stuamurr said:
I'm real confused by the first picture, where the 2nd and 3rd show your pool, skimmer etc covered in the enclosure the first shows part of the pool outdoors? I can't really figure it out
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Stuart, I included the first picture so folks could see the skimmer type and what it looks like (as it might pertain to freezing). I took the picture during construction. The second and third show the type of concrete deck and the enclosed mechanical room, again because it might relate to how the pool is winterized.
 
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