@magicman, where are you at with the process ? Still just thinking about it or did you come up with anything ?
Running pool equipment year round in winter / keeping small in ground pool open all year in Ohio
- Thread starter magicman
- Start date
I have a tentative plan. I was inspired by this thread, where a member from Canada managed to run his pool through Jan and eventually year round. His pool is far larger than ours, but located in a similar climate.
In our case, our pool is much, much smaller. The dig sheet says it's approx. 7,000 gallons, but I believe it's closer to 6,000. It's a kidney shaped in-ground fiberglass pool that runs 3 1/2 - 5 feet deep. You can liken it to a very large hot tub. Currently, when we run the heater and pump at 2000 RPM, we gain 2-3 degree per hour without a cover.
Our equipment pad is outside, near our house. I plan to construct a temporary enclosure around the pad, to keep snow off of the equipment while still maintaining proper ventilation for the heater. I'm still thinking through the best way to construct this, so any thoughts are welcome!
I'm imaging a greenhouse type enclosure constructed of plastic/wood and staked to the ground. Perhaps with a solid plastic top over the pump and filter and side/top ventilation over the heater. My hope is that the enclosure around the equipment will be heated by the operation of the pump/heater a bit, which will help with any snow that falls.
It seems the consensus is that the water temp should be maintained just above 70F, to prevent corroding the heater. So, my plan is to try and maintain that temperature throughout the week and bump it up to 90-95 whenever we plan to use it.
I'll also reprogram the pump for "winter hours", so that it runs at high speed for just enough time to allow the heater to kick on and maintain that 70F temp, then drop to a much lower RPM to just keep the water moving. In the thread referenced, above, it appears that not circulating the water will help maintain heat. However, I fear on cold nights that pipes and equipment might freeze if it's not circulating and the heater isn't on. The slow circulation is insurance against freezing lines while minimizing heat loss. Perhaps I will experiment with running the pump/heater in short bursts throughout the day/night, so that the water never stops flowing for more than an hour or two, while still maintaining heat. Last thing I want to do is destroy my new pool/equipment in our first year of operation!
We had a 2500 gallon koi pond with a large waterfall that we kept running all year. The pond had large koi and the previous owners had always operated it this way. The water wasn't heated. The pump ran continuously and while there was a lot of surface ice, the pump and plumbing never froze. The line was only a few inches below the surface of the ground where the majority of our pool lines are much deeper. I'm hoping the combination of the heated water and circulation means we won't freeze.
Of course, the pool will be covered with at least a solar cover. I'm looking into insulated covers as another option as well. They make them for commercial pools (think ski resorts).
Our pool has a SWG, I'm debating whether I should remove it in the fall and use liquid chlorine or keep it operating since the water temp will always be above 50F.
Final thought on all of this - right now I plan to keep the pool operating through the holidays, close it and re-open in the spring. Typically, the brutal cold doesn't hit until Jan/Feb. Depending on cost and how it all works out (do we actually use it), we will either abort and close early or keep it running all winter. I plan to estimate the cost per hour to run the heater in the next few weeks which will hopefully give me a good idea of how this will impact our gas bill. Since the pump is VS and uses only a few hundred watts at lower speeds, I'm not overly concerned about electricity. Plus, we're used to running a larger koi pond pump 24/7/365, anyway, which was a lot more expensive.
Then the question is, when we "close" do we just stop heating the water and keep it circulating so we aren't looking at an ugly winter cover? Or, do we drain, blow the lines and cover for the 3-4 month "off season"? I guess that's a topic for another discussion.
In our case, our pool is much, much smaller. The dig sheet says it's approx. 7,000 gallons, but I believe it's closer to 6,000. It's a kidney shaped in-ground fiberglass pool that runs 3 1/2 - 5 feet deep. You can liken it to a very large hot tub. Currently, when we run the heater and pump at 2000 RPM, we gain 2-3 degree per hour without a cover.
Our equipment pad is outside, near our house. I plan to construct a temporary enclosure around the pad, to keep snow off of the equipment while still maintaining proper ventilation for the heater. I'm still thinking through the best way to construct this, so any thoughts are welcome!
I'm imaging a greenhouse type enclosure constructed of plastic/wood and staked to the ground. Perhaps with a solid plastic top over the pump and filter and side/top ventilation over the heater. My hope is that the enclosure around the equipment will be heated by the operation of the pump/heater a bit, which will help with any snow that falls.
It seems the consensus is that the water temp should be maintained just above 70F, to prevent corroding the heater. So, my plan is to try and maintain that temperature throughout the week and bump it up to 90-95 whenever we plan to use it.
I'll also reprogram the pump for "winter hours", so that it runs at high speed for just enough time to allow the heater to kick on and maintain that 70F temp, then drop to a much lower RPM to just keep the water moving. In the thread referenced, above, it appears that not circulating the water will help maintain heat. However, I fear on cold nights that pipes and equipment might freeze if it's not circulating and the heater isn't on. The slow circulation is insurance against freezing lines while minimizing heat loss. Perhaps I will experiment with running the pump/heater in short bursts throughout the day/night, so that the water never stops flowing for more than an hour or two, while still maintaining heat. Last thing I want to do is destroy my new pool/equipment in our first year of operation!
We had a 2500 gallon koi pond with a large waterfall that we kept running all year. The pond had large koi and the previous owners had always operated it this way. The water wasn't heated. The pump ran continuously and while there was a lot of surface ice, the pump and plumbing never froze. The line was only a few inches below the surface of the ground where the majority of our pool lines are much deeper. I'm hoping the combination of the heated water and circulation means we won't freeze.
Of course, the pool will be covered with at least a solar cover. I'm looking into insulated covers as another option as well. They make them for commercial pools (think ski resorts).
Our pool has a SWG, I'm debating whether I should remove it in the fall and use liquid chlorine or keep it operating since the water temp will always be above 50F.
Final thought on all of this - right now I plan to keep the pool operating through the holidays, close it and re-open in the spring. Typically, the brutal cold doesn't hit until Jan/Feb. Depending on cost and how it all works out (do we actually use it), we will either abort and close early or keep it running all winter. I plan to estimate the cost per hour to run the heater in the next few weeks which will hopefully give me a good idea of how this will impact our gas bill. Since the pump is VS and uses only a few hundred watts at lower speeds, I'm not overly concerned about electricity. Plus, we're used to running a larger koi pond pump 24/7/365, anyway, which was a lot more expensive.
Then the question is, when we "close" do we just stop heating the water and keep it circulating so we aren't looking at an ugly winter cover? Or, do we drain, blow the lines and cover for the 3-4 month "off season"? I guess that's a topic for another discussion.
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
Sounds like a cool project.. please post pics of your greenhouse/pool with snow outside. Maybe make it partially retractable so when visitors can get snowed on while they are in your 90 degree pool 
Also consider other alternatives besides an actual greenhouse. There are all kinds of structures out there that would be similar. There are temporary sheds and car port like things too. Basically steel frame with some sort of tarp like cover. Good luck and keep us posted.
Have you considered a standalone hot tub? 400 gallons of water in an insulated tub should that’s designed to run year-round seems is a lot easier than trying to operate an in-ground pool in the winter.
You must have a generator. If you lost power long enough and a line froze it would be a nightmare to repair under a new pool ddeck. If you haven't done so already you can actually insulate your lines below ground at pad and bring them up wrapped in pipe insulation made for this. Even a poorly made insulated cover will do wonders for holding heat. Can be sections to make easier to remove like a hot tub cover only alot thinner
Have you thought about a hot tub like mentioned above? Can keep it going all year round easily
Have you thought about a hot tub like mentioned above? Can keep it going all year round easily
Quick update on this and I appreciate all of the comments / feedback / suggestions.
We purchased an insulated cover from a place in Canada. It’s heavy, foam and with overnight temps in the low 40s only lost 1.5 degrees F. We’ve been running the heater 4 hours a day and so far it has no problem keeping up. Water temp is 85.
Our current plan is to keep the pool operating until Jan 1st, the. Purchase a winter cover and shut it down until spring. The coldest temps come in Jan/Feb so it will be safest, unless we find things are going well and we push it further out.
Kids love the novelty of swimming in the cold, but having it closed for a few months will give them more excitement when it comes time to open it again for the summer. Without the worry for destroying our new equipment.
So, maybe doing it this way will be the best of both worlds?
I’ll keep everyone posted! I’m sure thing will continue to evolve as I continue my quest!
ps- getting an actual hot tub would be great, but the wife would never go for it! Our yard just doesn’t have the space.
We purchased an insulated cover from a place in Canada. It’s heavy, foam and with overnight temps in the low 40s only lost 1.5 degrees F. We’ve been running the heater 4 hours a day and so far it has no problem keeping up. Water temp is 85.
Our current plan is to keep the pool operating until Jan 1st, the. Purchase a winter cover and shut it down until spring. The coldest temps come in Jan/Feb so it will be safest, unless we find things are going well and we push it further out.
Kids love the novelty of swimming in the cold, but having it closed for a few months will give them more excitement when it comes time to open it again for the summer. Without the worry for destroying our new equipment.
So, maybe doing it this way will be the best of both worlds?
I’ll keep everyone posted! I’m sure thing will continue to evolve as I continue my quest!
ps- getting an actual hot tub would be great, but the wife would never go for it! Our yard just doesn’t have the space.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 53,060
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
@magicman please create your signature so everyone can easily know what type of pool we are discussing.
Can you give us a link to the insulated foam pool cover you bought?
Can you give us a link to the insulated foam pool cover you bought?
Done.
The cover we purchased is a Thermaltech ULTRA from Prairie Tubs. Their website is garbage, but the cover seems well made. It’s heavy. Cost was $430.
Link to Prairie Tubs Website
The cover we purchased is a Thermaltech ULTRA from Prairie Tubs. Their website is garbage, but the cover seems well made. It’s heavy. Cost was $430.
Link to Prairie Tubs Website