Winterizing fiberglass pool

[amick]

We live in Texas and have a Viking fiberglass pool. Most winters I don't think there's too much to worry about with our pool.
But, we lost our pump in the freeze last winter. When we heard about rolling blackouts I called the company and asked what are we supposed to do? Their previous advice was just to keep the pump running if it freezes, in fact the pump has freeze protection and will turn on when it freezes. But if there's no electricity then what? We didn't lose electric but we stayed below freezing for over 186 hours. The first night we watched ice form in our pool while the pump was running and then ran out there in the middle of the night to shut it down and pull out the filter and open everything up to drain. There were already huge chunks of ice in the filter housing.
I would love to lower the water level and close up the pump for the winter, just in case we have a several day freeze again but we told that draining the the pool "beyond 2 inches below the skimmer will result in damage and will not be covered under warranty"
What do people up North do for the winter with a fiberglass pool?
Thanks

 

[Newdude]

Hey Mick!!! We drain below the skimmer to blow out the pipes. With bungee plugs you don’t need to go as far as the returns as the plugs allow the water out of the pipes and self seal once the pressure stops. Then gizzmo the skimmer and fill it back up.

 

[amick]

Hey Mick!!! We drain below the skimmer to blow out the pipes. With bungee plugs you don’t need to go as far as the returns as the plugs allow the water out of the pipes and self seal once the pressure stops. Then gizzmo the skimmer and fill it back up.

What are bungee plugs and what is gizzmo the skimmer? Thanks

 

[Texas Splash]

I would not close. The conditions we experience each year aren't worth the effort. Even in the DFW area they don't typically close. Last Feb when we lost power, that was unusual. But at that point the pool itself is fine. All you have to do is drain water from the pump and filter housing and anything else above ground. Covering the pad and any exposed plumbing is also advisable, but you don't have to close your pool like they do up north. As soon as you see a few days of 70 - 80 degree weather in our typical TX up & down routine, you'll get algae. We discussed this scenario in the video linked below.

TFP Expert Discussion - Non Closing Winter Prep

Come join us this Saturday, July 31, 2021 at 1 pm EDT/10 am PDT. Texas Splash (aka Pat), and Leebo (aka Lee) will be joining us for a discussion about Non-Closing Winter Prep for those pools in areas you do not fully close the pool. We will be using Zoom. Questions will be submitted via Chat...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Newdude]

What are bungee plugs and what is gizzmo the skimmer? Thanks

You have to cap all the plumbing after blowing it out. A bungee plug will allow you to blow the pipe water through it, and then cap itself and remain sealed.

Amazon.com : Aqua Group Aqua Products Plug for 1.5 Inch Lines BP15 : Tools & Home Improvement

Amazon.com : Aqua Group Aqua Products Plug for 1.5 Inch Lines BP15 : Tools & Home Improvement

www.amazon.com

The skimmer which will possibly freeze need 2 protections. One from water filling the pipe (the cap) and also from the expansion of the ice to lessen the chance of the skimmer breaking. So the gizzmo screws into the pipe and collapses as need be in the ice.

Amazon.com : Gizzmo MWUG Ultra Skimmer Freeze Protection with Blowout Valve, 16- Inch : Swimming Pool Skimmers : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Amazon.com : Gizzmo MWUG Ultra Skimmer Freeze Protection with Blowout Valve, 16- Inch : Swimming Pool Skimmers : Patio, Lawn & Garden

www.amazon.com

But, as Pat said above, it’s usually much less if a concern for by you and last years anomaly is not the norm. I can’t say how I’d react if I lived by you. I see both sides of it. I do, however, applaud you for researching to make your best decision.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

I am in NE Oklahoma and I don't close my pool. Last year was my first entire winter with the pool, and the arctic temps that sat here for 7+ days definitely had me stressed a bit. Fortunately we never lost power and my pumps kept running. They ran for almost 2 solid weeks. I had ice over the entire pool/spa surface and it kept going just fine. As long as the water stays moving it shouldn't freeze.

I built a hooch out of a 10x10 canopy and tarps to cover my equipment and above ground pipes, and put an electric space heater in there to keep the temps elevated as much as I could around the equipment. I had a friend that didn't do anything but let his pump run. Maybe I went overboard but it made me feel like I was doing what I could and not just playing a victim.

I do know where all my drain plugs were and planned to pull them if I lost power for more than 15 minutes.

Even after all of that, I am still not closing it this year. Those events are not typical for this area and we are significantly above freezing most days of the year. I do winterize the water features in late October, since those are easy to winterize, since they are all basically above ground. The bubblers are the only things I have to plug. Scuppers and deck jets just get blown out and the valve actuator turned off. They do all have freeze protection on for the rare freezes we get between March and late October.

This is a good read to understand why/how pipes freeze.

The Physics of Freezing and Freeze Protection

Recently, there have been a lot of questions from those living in moderate climates about using automatic freeze protection or running pumps to prevent freezing and what a pool owner should do when temperatures drop so I thought it might be useful to have a thread which dealt with the issue from...

www.troublefreepool.com

--Jeff