Prefer not to winterize, but can't keep up w the evaporation..am I missing something?

[bmsm6]

We're on our 3rd winter with the pool. 1st winter was mild temps and had no issues keeping the pool/spa open. 2nd winter we had 9 days of below-freezing temps and our chlorinator froze and burst around day 3 so we had to do a last-minute winterization since there wasn't a bypass valve. Now that we've removed the chlorinator and simplified the plumbing on our equipment pad (all 2" pipes), I was hoping we'd be able to keep it open for our 3rd winter. But now the problem I'm encountering is that the evaporation is so bad that we need to add water to the pool every other day to prevent the water level from getting so low that the skimmers suck air into the system. I know the simple solution is to keep adding water to the pool...but I'm worried the outdoor spigot will freeze (last year it did freeze, even with the hose detached, and fortunately after we thawed it out there was no apparent damage).

I'm curious what others would do in this situation, and if there is something I may be missing? As far as I can tell, my options are:
1) winterize the pool (downside is we can't use spa in winter)
2) keep pool open and add water every other day, hoping the outdoor spigot doesn't freeze/burst inside the wall
3) keep pool open and don't add water when temps are freezing, but instead close the valves that pull water from the skimmer to the pump so that the pump is only pulling water from the main drain (risk here I think would be water in skimmer freezing since it wouldn't be circulating)

Right now I'm leaning towards #1, but I would love to hear from folks who successfully keep theirs open in the winter and if they have the same evaporation/refill issues. Thanks!

 

[1Sammy]

Are you sure the that much lost is evaporation ?

 

[shingles]

I agree with 1Sammy. It seems like too much water for evap. In fact in the winter time, I lose much less water to evap.

 

[bmsm6]

I can't say I'm 100% sure it is just evaporation, but we've always had to add a fair amount of water in the summer and winter (pool gets direct sunlight all day), and they pressure-tested for leaks when it was installed I believe. Someone did try to explain to me the scientific reasons that there may be more evaporation in winter but it was a bit over my head.

 

[borjis]

Your on the east coast? I'd be closing every winter if I lived there, unless I lived in Florida.

 

[mknauss]

Any chance of a city in NC? Depends a bit on if you are in Asheville or Wilmington.

 

[bmsm6]

We are in Winston-Salem, NC.

 

[Demegrad9]

Sounds like you might want to do a bucket test to determine if this is evaporation or a leak.

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

How to do a bucket test: -- > pool water evaporation bucket test - Google Search

 

[mknauss]

We are in Winston-Salem, NC.

Thank you. Can you add that to your location under settings?

I agree with the recommendations for a bucket test. Once your pool water cools to close to your air temperature, your evaporation should dramatically reduce.