Winterizing heated inground pool with vinyl liner

[Manson Meags]

I'd love some direction and advice from the experts on winterizing our heated, inground pool with a vinyl liner. This is a 12k gallon pool and we live in an area that is hot during the summer and can get pretty darn cold during the winter (usually 10-20 F, but sometimes sub-zero).

Past practice has been to clean the pool, roll out the solar cover, and top that with a safety cover bolted to the pool deck. We keep our heater on throughout the winter, and the pool has not typically gotten below 50 degrees (power is super cheap where we live). We have not had any issues with the pool or any equipment freezing in the past four winters.

Now that I'm stanning TFP, I want to make sure our winter practices aren't going to cause us any undue issues. My husband is resistant to drain the pool below the skimmer, etc. because the heater keeps it above freezing. Any thoughts on what we should be doing differently? It's going to be over 100 degrees today, so I realize I'm being a little pre-emptive here, but I want to have time to plead my case with the pool boy for a couple months before we need to winterize.

 

[duckcmmndr]

If you are using the heater during the winter to keep the water at 50...that must cost a good bit. It would also imply that you are running your pump. If you have a variable speed pump and set it to low it will move the water so none of the pump equipment or lines will freeze. The pump running on low will use almost no electricity. I will say you need a generator for power outages if this is your only winterize method...ask Texas. I just run my pump all winter on low...but I have a backup generator in case the power goes out.

It can get cold in Arkansas from time to time, I had a full week of below freezing this past winter...never lost power. I to am curious how people in very cold climates winterize their pools.

20210217_191826.jpg

• duckcmmndr
• Apr 16, 2021

 

[Newdude]

Hey Maegs and belated Welcome !!!

so I realize I'm being a little pre-emptive here, but I want to have time to plead my case with the pool boy for a couple months before we need to winterize.

Now is the BEST time to hatch a plan. Not when the time comes and everyone is too busy to go over your options.

My vote is to actually winterize the pool. Currently you throw the cover on and keep it running. It has worked for you, and I certainly hope it keeps working if you continue, But you can close it in a few hours and not have to think of it but once or twice all winter.

Blow out and add RV antifreeze to the lines. Drain the equipment and either cover it or store it in the garage / basement. Drain the pool about 18 inches. Cover the pool. Check once a month in the off season and drain another 18 inches when it’s full again.

by me we get 3 ft of rain / melted snow each winter. I’d start 18 inches low, Drain again when it was full, pretty much mid winter, and it was full again at opening time. Once or twice we had wet years and I had to drain twice over the winter.

 

[Manson Meags]

If you are using the heater during the winter to keep the water at 50...that must cost a good bit. It would also imply that you are running your pump. If you have a variable speed pump and set it to low it will move the water so none of the pump equipment or lines will freeze. The pump running on low will use almost no electricity. I will say you need a generator for power outages if this is your only winterize method...ask Texas. I just run my pump all winter on low...but I have a backup generator in case the power goes out.

It can get cold in Arkansas from time to time, I had a full week of below freezing this past winter...never lost power. I to am curious how people in very cold climates winterize their pools.

20210217_191826.jpg

• duckcmmndr
• Apr 16, 2021

Good call on the generator. Fortunately the pool boy is a low-key prepper, and we have a Cummins full-house generator on an ATS. Between the fires in the summer (we are within two miles of the Twenty-Five Mile fire in Washington), and snow/ice in the winter, it seemed like a solid life choice.