Surprise frigid temps!

[HeyEng]

Here we go again, huh? Winds hit Tulsa around 6am. It was 42 degrees at 4:30am…it is now 5. More importantly, my pool water temp is dropping quickly. We made it through the Feb 21 storm but with damage to some above ground pipes and two spa jet seats. That pool was larger, deeper, and sheltered from the wind. My current smaller pool is dropping temperature much faster without the wind protection. There are so many factors in play. We constructed a PVC frame so that we could tent the equipment pad. There is currently an incandescent work lamp keeping it warm for now. I do have a cattle trough floating heater that I might place a few feet out from the opening of the skimmer if the water gets slushy. We’ve rigged a board with hooks to hold it in place. It’ll be a last ditch effort.

We plan to keep the water flowing as long as that is possible. We’ll drain the equipment at the pad and add pool noodles to the skimmer if everything goes south.

Y’all be careful out there! During the frantic race to shut everything down in ‘21 when one pump finally started slushing up (it took 5 or 6 days of freezing temps), my husband slipped on the pool deck and cut his head on the metal landscape edging. He was OK, but it scared us to death and put the pool problems in perspective for us.

It is quite nasty out there. Hard to believe how quickly it got so cold (AND WINDY!) I gave in yesterday and heated the pool to 70 degrees. At last check it was 57 degrees in the pool and 30 degrees at the equipment pad. Keeping my fingers crossed that that water won't cool down too quickly....but that wind!

 

[PaigeMark]

It is quite nasty out there. Hard to believe how quickly it got so cold (AND WINDY!) I gave in yesterday and heated the pool to 70 degrees. At last check it was 57 degrees in the pool and 30 degrees at the equipment pad. Keeping my fingers crossed that that water won't cool down too quickly....but that wind!

The wind is wicked. Pool is holding steady at 37 but it’s 1 degree air temp and only getting colder. I think this is my last rodeo. I’m going to learn to close my pool and invest in a cover.

 

[dailygenesis]

I gave in yesterday and heated the pool to 70 degrees. At last check it was 57 degrees in the pool and 30 degrees at the equipment pad. Keeping my fingers crossed that that water won't cool down too quickly....but that wind!

I am curious -- how did the water temps hold up through the storm after heating to 70 degree pre-storm? I am thinking about ways to improve my approach for future freezes and thinking pre-heating like you did would be helpful? How low did water temps get during the freeze?

 

[HeyEng]

I am curious -- how did the water temps hold up through the storm after heating to 70 degree pre-storm? I am thinking about ways to improve my approach for future freezes and thinking pre-heating like you did would be helpful? How low did water temps get during the freeze?

Pool temp got as low as 42. I don't know that it would have that much of a difference this time around but I am convinced that it did help with the prolonged (10+ days) freeze we had last year. Our neighbor's pool got down to 35 degrees without being heated but it is massive (50K'ish gallons and 9 feet deep).

 

[dailygenesis]

Pool temp got as low as 42. I don't know that it would have that much of a difference this time around but I am convinced that it did help with the prolonged (10+ days) freeze we had last year. Our neighbor's pool got down to 35 degrees without being heated but it is massive (50K'ish gallons and 9 feet deep).

Thanks. I'm in OKC as well. My pool is around 21k gallons. We didn't pre-heat at all. Water was around 42ish degrees when the storm blew in. But we were down to 32 after about 24 hours and I feel we were pretty close to freezing up if the temps had stayed low for much longer. Would have felt much better if the water had been above freezing the whole time. Maybe pre-heating will help next time. Do you have any concern about running the heater in the cold with colder water temps?

 

[HeyEng]

Thanks. I'm in OKC as well. My pool is around 21k gallons. We didn't pre-heat at all. Water was around 42ish degrees when the storm blew in. But we were down to 32 after about 24 hours and I feel we were pretty close to freezing up if the temps had stayed low for much longer. Would have felt much better if the water had been above freezing the whole time. Maybe pre-heating will help next time. Do you have any concern about running the heater in the cold with colder water temps?

I haven't been too concerned with using the heater because 1) it is pretty old...15'ish years, and 2) we have been "hot tubbing" the pool a few times each winter since buying the house in 2018 with no issues. I am sure lots of folks here would think me a fool for doing this (and other decisions I make regularly) but I figure that the heater is on borrowed time anyway so no harm/no foul in using it. Plus, when I heat it, I make to sure to get it to at least 70 degrees. NG prices are pretty high this year, so I don't think we will be "hot tubbing" anytime soon except for stupid cold like we had last week.

I would also add that even if the water is 32 (or a few degrees lower) and it's moving at a brisk pace, it will take quite a while to freeze. Our neighbor's pool *did* eventually freeze up last year (no heating prior to the event) but it happened at the tail end of 10+ days of very, VERY cold weather.

 

[dailygenesis]

I haven't been too concerned with using the heater because 1) it is pretty old...15'ish years, and 2) we have been "hot tubbing" the pool a few times each winter since buying the house in 2018 with no issues. I am sure lots of folks here would think me a fool for doing this (and other decisions I make regularly) but I figure that the heater is on borrowed time anyway so no harm/no foul in using it. Plus, when I heat it, I make to sure to get it to at least 70 degrees. NG prices are pretty high this year, so I don't think we will be "hot tubbing" anytime soon except for stupid cold like we had last week.

I would also add that even if the water is 32 (or a few degrees lower) and it's moving at a brisk pace, it will take quite a while to freeze. Our neighbor's pool *did* eventually freeze up last year (no heating prior to the event) but it happened at the tail end of 10+ days of very, VERY cold weather.

Thanks, that's really helpful to hear. This is our first pool and it is brand new so everything for me is a nail biter of worry Our pool builder has always been insistent "don't ever run the heater when water is below 55" but since then I've talked to the manufacturer and read more about specifically what is the danger and I'm beginning to feel a little more confident in using it in cooler temps, especially at least to use the spa through the winter since that can warm up from 40 degrees to 98 very quickly. Yeah, the idea of heating the entire pool up 30 degrees or more would really hit me with an NG bill but would be totally worth it to me if it were to really help weather a longer-term storm more easily. Thanks for all the feedback.