Should you Close Your Swimming Pool for the Winter?
Many have asked me if they should close their pools in the winter. For some regions, it is a bit of a gray area. Technically speaking you can keep a pool open in an area where the air temperature drops to zero as long as you keep the water moving through the pipes, pump, filter, and heater. Keeping the water circulating is the key. For example in Maine where pools are closed for the winter, average winter temperatures are 25°F in the far south to less than 15°F in the northern parts. If you keep the pool pump running 24/7 you can keep your pool open all winter.
Herein lies the problem though. In the Great Texas Freeze which occurred the week of February 11–20, 2021 many pool owners suffered damage to their pool equipment when their pumps and filters froze. The freeze was a historic cold snap that brought record-low temperatures to some parts of the state that normally never get that cold. These pool owners just didn't close their pools in that region and left them open year-round. Temperatures dropped to as low as 6 degrees in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Everything was fine since most pool pumps and timers went into "Freeze Protect mode" which kept the pool pump on and water circulating in the pool. But then the power to the area went out. pool pumps shut off. Within 6 hours underground pipes froze. Entire pool surfaces froze. Water in pumps, valves, salt cells, filters, and heaters froze. When things began to warm back up pumps cracked, filters cracked, salt cells cracked, valves cracked and heaters started leaking from expanded seals.
Technically you can keep your pool open in Maine in the dead of winter but if you lose power for as little as 4 hours your pipes, equipment and everything related to the pool will freeze, causing irreversible damage. That is the reason why pools are closed in these regions. To prevent damage from freezing temperatures.
On the flip side, we do not close pools in the warmer regions because the water just does not get cold enough. If you try to close a pool in Arizona, Florida, and Southern California the pool will likely turn green and you also run the risk of having scale build up in the pool if you are not balancing the pH in a pool in a warmer region where the water stays warm.
Closing a pool is done simply because it is necessary to protect the equipment and underground pipes from freezing. If you live in a warmer climate it is not done because it is not needed. In those grey areas around the country, it is better to be cautious and close your pool, just in case freezing temperatures come your way and the power goes out.
Rule of thumb on pool closing:
1) If you get freezing temperatures in your area during the winter for long periods (weeks and months in a row) then closing your pool is advisable.
2) If you live in an area where freezing temperatures are rare and only happen once in a great while, you do not need to close your pool in most circumstances. Your pool pump and equipment will enter “Freeze Protect Mode” if so equipped. This is a mode that your Automated System, timer, or pool pump will enter when the air temperature drops below 37 degrees and it automatically keeps your pool pump running and the water in the pool and spa circulating. If you don’t have this protection on your equipment you can turn on your pool pump manually and run it during the freezing weather.
3) If you live in an area where the winters are mild, closing your pool is not advisable as your pool could turn green and have scaling issues due to not balancing the water during the mild winter months.
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