When it's winter, many pools will be exposed to temperatures that are freezing. Should you find that the surface of your pool becomes mildly frozen during winter, then this isn't anything that you should worry about. But should your pool equipment not be winterised, then water can end up freezing inside your pool pump.
It can even freeze in your pool filter and even your pool heater. When this happens, you can get freeze damage, which can be expensive to repair. To keep your pool maintenance costs low, you'll need to winterise your pool equipment.
Why It's Important To Prevent The Pool Equipment From Freezing
There are three main ways that you can prevent your pool equipment from freezing. These include:
- Winterising your pool plumbing and pool equipment
- Keeping the pool pumps running while the valves are open
- Installing free protection, such as the automatic freeze guard for pools
Let’s look at each of these steps in turn:
1. Winterising Your Pool
In order to partially winterise your pool, you’ll need to drain your pool pump, the filter, the pool heater, as well as other pool equipment that’s above the ground. You should also ensure that you remove your drain plugs before you find that they are frozen.
You can use pool antifreeze to get rid of frozen water from the hoses or pipes linked to the pool. Simply pour the pool antifreeze into the pipes, to prevent frozen water from gathering there. To complete the winterisation process, you’ll need to blow the water out from your pool equipment as well as the pool pipes. Then, the pipes will need to be plugged into the pool. This is to prevent water from getting into the pipes.
2. Running The Pool Pump
Pay attention to your local weather report, to see if there is a freeze warning or not. Should you be expecting freezing temperatures, then you’ll need to run the pool pump 24×7. Keep running the pool pump until the temperature becomes warmer. As long as you can ensure that water is moving through the pipes, the water won’t end up freezing.
If where you live, the climate is generally colder, then you’ll need to run your pool pump until the spring season arrives. You can set up an alert on your phone that lets you know when the pool is nearing freezing temperatures. Should this happen, you can just turn your pool pump on.
3. Using Automatic Freeze Guard Protection
When you get freeze guard protection, it will come with a sensor. This sensor measures the temperature outside. Then, it automatically turns the pool pump on when the temperature is too low. There are also more advanced features you can make use of, with pool controllers. You’ll be able to open as well as close the valves of your pool, turn the pumps on or off, and more. Even if you have water features in your pool, then you can use your freeze guard protection controller to turn the pump for your water features on or off.
What Happens During A Power Failure?
Sometimes, during snow storms in the winter, there can be power failures. When this happens, your pool pumps will automatically shut off. This is unless you have a generator at home, which takes over when the power goes out. Say your pool is unwinterised when this happens to you.
If this is the case, then you’ll need to unscrew the drain plugs on your pool heater and pool pump. Also, unscrew the drain plug of the single filter. You’ll then need to open the air bleeder of the filter and ensure that all the valves of the pool line are closed. Next, shut off the power from the breaker. This ensures that the pump won’t suddenly turn on when the power comes back. Once the power returns, you can replace your pool plugs, get the pump ready, and start it once again.
How Automatic Freeze Guard Protection Works
There’s a certain temperature that pool pumps need to run at, to ensure that they can work efficiently. This will depend on the specifications provided by the manufacturer, which you can find in the manual you got with your pool pump. With the help of automatic freeze guard protection, you can ensure that the pool pump always stays at the right temperature range when it’s working. When it gets too cold for the pool pump to work, the freeze guard will kick in.
The automatic freeze guard turns on the circulating pump of your pool when it gets too cold. It will ensure that the pump keeps circulating water, until the temperature of the pool water increases. This helps in preventing the water in the pipes from freezing when it’s too cold out.
If you don’t have an automatic freeze guard installed in your fibreglass pool, then you could face problems during the winter months. When the temperature drops and the water in the pipes end up freezing, this will prevent water from being able to flow through the pipes. As a result of the blockage, the motor of the pool pump will continue to run, even without water. This can lead to the motor burning up. Repairing the pool pump motor when it’s burnt up can be expensive. Having an automatic freeze guard installed in your pool is the cheaper option.
Your automatic freeze guard will also most likely come with a timer as well. With an automatic freeze guard, you can ensure that your pool equipment is safe, and winterised.
Conclusion
Before winter arrives, you’ll need to winterise your pool equipment. This helps keep your pool equipment safe, and free from damage, which can be expensive to repair. One way you can winterise your pool equipment is by using an automatic freeze guard in your pool. When you have an automatic freeze guard installed, it will detect when the temperature near your pool is falling low.
When the temperature is too low, it will turn on your pool pump to keep the pool water circulating. This helps keep the water in the pipes from freezing and enables you to protect your pool equipment.
When it's winter, many pools will be exposed to temperatures that are freezing. Should you find that the surface of your pool becomes mildly frozen during winter, then this isn't anything that you should worry about. But should your pool equipment not be winterised, then water can end up freezing inside your pool pump.
It can even freeze in your pool filter and even your pool heater. When this happens, you can get freeze damage, which can be expensive to repair. To keep your pool maintenance costs low, you'll need to winterise your pool equipment.
Why It's Important To Prevent The Pool Equipment From Freezing
There are three main ways that you can prevent your pool equipment from freezing. These include:
- Winterising your pool plumbing and pool equipment
- Keeping the pool pumps running while the valves are open
- Installing free protection, such as the automatic freeze guard for pools
Let’s look at each of these steps in turn:
1. Winterising Your Pool
In order to partially winterise your pool, you’ll need to drain your pool pump, the filter, the pool heater, as well as other pool equipment that’s above the ground. You should also ensure that you remove your drain plugs before you find that they are frozen.
You can use pool antifreeze to get rid of frozen water from the hoses or pipes linked to the pool. Simply pour the pool antifreeze into the pipes, to prevent frozen water from gathering there. To complete the winterisation process, you’ll need to blow the water out from your pool equipment as well as the pool pipes. Then, the pipes will need to be plugged into the pool. This is to prevent water from getting into the pipes.
2. Running The Pool Pump
Pay attention to your local weather report, to see if there is a freeze warning or not. Should you be expecting freezing temperatures, then you’ll need to run the pool pump 24×7. Keep running the pool pump until the temperature becomes warmer. As long as you can ensure that water is moving through the pipes, the water won’t end up freezing.
If where you live, the climate is generally colder, then you’ll need to run your pool pump until the spring season arrives. You can set up an alert on your phone that lets you know when the pool is nearing freezing temperatures. Should this happen, you can just turn your pool pump on.
3. Using Automatic Freeze Guard Protection
When you get freeze guard protection, it will come with a sensor. This sensor measures the temperature outside. Then, it automatically turns the pool pump on when the temperature is too low. There are also more advanced features you can make use of, with pool controllers. You’ll be able to open as well as close the valves of your pool, turn the pumps on or off, and more. Even if you have water features in your pool, then you can use your freeze guard protection controller to turn the pump for your water features on or off.
What Happens During A Power Failure?
Sometimes, during snow storms in the winter, there can be power failures. When this happens, your pool pumps will automatically shut off. This is unless you have a generator at home, which takes over when the power goes out. Say your pool is unwinterised when this happens to you.
If this is the case, then you’ll need to unscrew the drain plugs on your pool heater and pool pump. Also, unscrew the drain plug of the single filter. You’ll then need to open the air bleeder of the filter and ensure that all the valves of the pool line are closed. Next, shut off the power from the breaker. This ensures that the pump won’t suddenly turn on when the power comes back. Once the power returns, you can replace your pool plugs, get the pump ready, and start it once again.
How Automatic Freeze Guard Protection Works
There’s a certain temperature that pool pumps need to run at, to ensure that they can work efficiently. This will depend on the specifications provided by the manufacturer, which you can find in the manual you got with your pool pump. With the help of automatic freeze guard protection, you can ensure that the pool pump always stays at the right temperature range when it’s working. When it gets too cold for the pool pump to work, the freeze guard will kick in.
The automatic freeze guard turns on the circulating pump of your pool when it gets too cold. It will ensure that the pump keeps circulating water, until the temperature of the pool water increases. This helps in preventing the water in the pipes from freezing when it’s too cold out.
If you don’t have an automatic freeze guard installed in your fibreglass pool, then you could face problems during the winter months. When the temperature drops and the water in the pipes end up freezing, this will prevent water from being able to flow through the pipes. As a result of the blockage, the motor of the pool pump will continue to run, even without water. This can lead to the motor burning up. Repairing the pool pump motor when it’s burnt up can be expensive. Having an automatic freeze guard installed in your pool is the cheaper option.
Your automatic freeze guard will also most likely come with a timer as well. With an automatic freeze guard, you can ensure that your pool equipment is safe, and winterised.
Conclusion
Before winter arrives, you’ll need to winterise your pool equipment. This helps keep your pool equipment safe, and free from damage, which can be expensive to repair. One way you can winterise your pool equipment is by using an automatic freeze guard in your pool. When you have an automatic freeze guard installed, it will detect when the temperature near your pool is falling low.
When the temperature is too low, it will turn on your pool pump to keep the pool water circulating. This helps keep the water in the pipes from freezing and enables you to protect your pool equipment.
