Hey guys, I live in MN and someone local recommended removing my SWG for the winter. What do you think? I’m worried I’m more likely to screw something up if I do this.
Remove Salt Cell for Winter?
- Thread starter Mattikuss
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,157
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Minnesota too. Last winter was my first with one, so I removed it. Circupool (mine) says it is not needed to be done. I just finished closing, and left it in place. Did make sure that all the water was out of it so there is no chance for ice damage. We'll see come next spring....
Mid-Michigan - I take it out, replace with the 'official' blank tube, and then put it and the electronic controls in the basement. I figure it can probably survive just fine outside once winterized, but it takes literally 5 minutes to take inside, so why not ?
Pool equipment is designed to withstand the elements.
That said, I'd never leave $1800, or $1800 of electronics to sit in a snowdrift. I skip the dummy pipe and plug the holes with an expanding rubber plug. Theythen gets a zip lock baggie and lots of tape so my jerk dogs don't find the bonus Kong at the equipment pad. (Best day EVER as far as they're concerned).
My pump and SWG spend the winter in the relatively climate controlled basement and my filter goes to the shed because the pieces are light enough once it's empty. I'm totally extra about it, but it takes 15 mins to put the equipment away and again to hook it back up.
That said, I'd never leave $1800, or $1800 of electronics to sit in a snowdrift. I skip the dummy pipe and plug the holes with an expanding rubber plug. Theythen gets a zip lock baggie and lots of tape so my jerk dogs don't find the bonus Kong at the equipment pad. (Best day EVER as far as they're concerned).
My pump and SWG spend the winter in the relatively climate controlled basement and my filter goes to the shed because the pieces are light enough once it's empty. I'm totally extra about it, but it takes 15 mins to put the equipment away and again to hook it back up.
I don't know these days. Half the stuff I buy for the pool seems to have a fairly short lifespan. Major items, heater, SWG, Pump etc, you're probably correct, but everything else seems to be designed with a one or two year obsolescence built in. For products that are intended for use in chlorinated, sunlight bathed water, it's amazing how many of them have little or no resistance to chlorine or UV.
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I remove mine and also install expandable plugs. I figure This is the one time per year I get to inspect it for calcium buildup.
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