Lowing water level when closing

[New to Chlorine]

My husband argues with me every year about lowering the water level below the lowest return. He does not think it’s necessary because we remove all hoses and cover the skimmer hole and plug the return hole. Can you give me the reason why lowering the water this low is necesssay? We cover with a solid tarp. I told him I was afraid my skimmer basket would freeze and break. He says it drains out the bottom hole and wouldn’t!

 

[PoolGate]

Lowering below the returns makes it a lot easier to blow the lines. Without doing that you'd have to put your plugs in while your blowing the line to prevent water rushing back in. That's why I do it. I remove my baskets totally but I don't think they'd be damaged if I left them in the skimmers.

 

[Donldson]

He says it drains out the bottom hole and wouldn’t!

Depending on how exactly you close it is quite easy for the sun to start melting ice even though the air temperature is below freezing. This would cause water to flow in to the skimmer and freeze along the freezing cold sides, coating the drain in layers of ice until it plugs. Then the water would have the opportunity to build up in the skimmer and freeze.

Is it a scenario that requires a lot of specific things to happen? Yeah. Is it worth risking just to not lower the water level an extra foot? Guess that's up to you.

 

[New to Chlorine]

We don’t blow out our lines. We have an above ground pool and just remove all the hoses and store in the garage during winter.

 

[Newdude]

Your concern is that the ice grabs a hold of the skimmer. If the ice rink shifts as it melts, it may buckle the wall. We have seen many open in the spring with that whole side of the pool crinkled.

You can stuff cut up pool noodles in the throat of the skimmer so that any water that gets in there can't expand enough to grab the skimmer with force. It'll also stop said expansion from cracking the skimmer itself, an issue on top of the wall issue.

 

[Mdragger88]

I have one return that near the floor and if i drained that low my partially buried pool would collapse over winter. It would be 20k gal of water!
So I just plug it. With a screw in plug that has an oring, from the outside. Been doing it that way the whole time.
Last year I used a push in skimmer plug/plate and kept my water level higher - it was fine. Skimmer throat Stayed bone dry.
I leave the bottom of the skimmer open (the hose is attached there but the other end is on the ground directed away from the pool) & i throw a nerf football in there.
I also put a screw in plug in my top return (from the inside because I can actually reach it).
I suggest you test your skimmer mouth plug/plate before putting into action. If it starts leaking you can always take it off & drain more before freezing becomes an issue.
We got some pretty good freezes & snow/ice here.
My pool was frozen. But I believe yall get a bit more than us.
I do also keep my pool cover pumped off so I don’t have to worry too much about displacement of pool water because of cover water.

Its a little early to close just yet. We recommend waiting until the water temp is in the low 60’s.

 

[Pauls234]

I notice people in my neighborhood close that way and plug the return and use a skimmer plate. Plenty on this forum have done so as well.

I've always drained below the return, but for the past 5 years or so I've planned to do it the other way, and then chicken out and say why take the risk?

I use a solid cover as well and while I do drain water off the cover periodically, at end of winter I've had enough snow/water/ice on top that it pushes the water inside the pool up higher than the return, which I drain 4 inches below. If I didn't drain at all I could easily see a lot of water going out the skimmer... less than would be drained anyway? Probably, but I wouldn't want that much draining in my yard, next to the pool.

You are much further south than I am, do you get a solid freeze every winter? Like where you have a giant ice cube in the pool?