Freezing temperatures can be a pool owner's worst nightmare.
With temperatures forecast to drop below 20 degrees Sunday night and remain below freezing through Wednesday morning, companies that provide pool maintenance say homeowners should start planning now.
Mustang Pool Service in Grapevine says people should first make sure their systems have no leaky pipes.
"If you plan on keeping the system running during this freeze, make sure your freeze guard's working," says Owner Wyatt Flournoy. "If it's not, make sure you get your pumps turned on, keep everything running overnight."
Flournoy says people can also clean filters to keep water moving.
"If your filter needs to be cleaned, I'd get on that today or tomorrow. That way, the water can really get some pressure behind it," he says.
Parts of Texas as far south as San Antonio spent more than four days below freezing in 2021. This outbreak is not expected to be as severe or last as long, but Flournoy says if you have a pool and are worried about rolling blackouts, you can shut down your entire system.
"Just pull the plug on every piece of equipment you have," he says. "Keep the breaker turned off. That way, when the power does come back on, you're not running all that equipment dry."
Thursday morning, the National Weather Service predicted, after a high of 55 degrees Saturday, North Texas would drop to 20 Saturday night and stay below freezing until Wednesday morning. Low temperatures are forecast to drop to 12 degrees both Sunday night and Monday night.
During that span, the only chance of precipitation is a 20 percent chance of snow Sunday night.
TIPS
MAKE SURE YOUR POOL IS RUNNING IN FREEZING WEATHER
Freeze protection can fail. Make sure all your pumps come on (except your
poolsweep pump) when the weather drops below freezing. Note: on variable
speed pumps, they will cycle on and off if you are depending on the freeze
protection on the pump. If the temp gets really low (below 15) then turn the
pump on manually and let it run 24/7 at a speed of at least 2000 RPM.
If you see your flow looks diminished, your filter might need to be backwashed. If you backwash, make sure your backwash line is not blocked by ice or it could blow up the filter.
MAINTAIN PROPER WATER LEVEL IN YOUR POOL
Your water should be maintained at the center of the tile (vertically) or
halfway up the skimmer opening. This is the number one cause of freeze
damage on pools. If the pump loses prime, then the water stops moving in the equipment and everything can freeze. Many times, people do not pay attention to their pool in the winter or they assume that water does not evaporate in cold weather.
MAKE SURE YOUR SKIMMER BASKETS AND PUMP TRAP BASKET ARE CLEAN
You do not want anything to slow down the flow of water through your
equipment. This is what keeps it from freezing.
IT DOES NOT HURT TO PLACE A TARP OVER YOUR EQUIPMENT
Normally, keeping the pump running should keep you out of danger. A tarp will
keep the wind from supercooling your equipment and will preserve a little
ground heat. This is especially helpful out in the country. That little
detail could make all the difference especially as the temps drop. Obviously if you put a tarp over the equipment, make sure nobody
turns the heater on.
IF YOU EXPERIENCE A POWER OUTAGE, CUT THE BREAKER OFF AND DRAIN YOUR EQUIPMENT
It really stinks when this happens, but it has happened. If the power goes
out, or if your pool just stops circulating for some reason, you need to get
the water out of the equipment to try to avoid freeze damage. Each piece of
equipment normally has drain plugs. The pump has two, the filter has a big
one at the bottom. The heater has one near the inlet piping. The poolsweep
pump has one in front. You should also take the lid off of the chlorinator.
DO I NEED TO RUN MY HEATER OR PUT A HEAT LAMP BY MY EQUIPMENT?
Running the heater during a freeze will waste gas and it is hard on the
heater because it drips corrosive condensation from the heat exchanger when the water is that cold. It is doubtful that a heat lamp will make a
difference more than a few degrees.
MY SPA IS DRAINING
On many electronic control systems, the spa function is set to freeze
protection. This means that during freezing weather, the valves move from
pool to spa and back every fifteen minutes or so. This is not needed in a
typical pool spa combination where the spa always overflows into the pool.
If this is causing your spa to drain, you may need to take your freeze
protection off of the spa function. Speak to your pool tech about this.
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