Freezing Temps and your swimming pool! What to do…..

Posted by Jenny McCorkle on

IF YOU LOSE POWER!!!!!

  1. Turn the pool equipment off
  2. Turn off the main breaker. That way, if anything is frozen, once power comes back on, it’s not going to try to run the pool equipment.
  3. Open the air relief on the top of the filter (water in the tank will start going down)
  4. Remove pump lids and remove all debris from the pump basket. (Starts draining water lines back to pool)
  5. Remove the freeze plugs in the pump pot (where the basket is). I personally put the freeze plugs in the pump basket so you do not lose them. I would also leave the lid off of the pump. That way, any water left has room to expand. Most Pumps will have two freeze plugs in them. Sometimes, a pressure gauge will be in one of the places.
  6. Remove the freeze plug from the heater manifold.
  7. Put all valves in the open position. If you have POOL & SPA with automation, to open the 3-way valves without power. You will need to remove the valve actuator. (Remove the handle, then 4 Philips head screws, remove the actuator, put a handle on the valve, and open.
  8. Remove the Drain plug from the filter. (Removes the last of the water in the tank)
  9. Go get you something warm to drink and grab a blanket

After doing this, you will have introduced air into the system allowing all of the water in the lines to drain back to the pool. Removing the freeze plugs removed a majority of the water out of the equipment.

Some of this stuff might be a little difficult for the average homeowner. If you can get the water out of the main pool equipment, that very well can be enough if you keep you safe, Pipe and vales are much cheaper than Pumps, Heaters and Filters. However, the pool industry still is not 100% caught up on the equipment demand caused from Covid and the 2021 storm. So protect what you have.

If you have a pool under construction and have your equipment installed, reach out to your builder. Chances are the lines are full of water from the pressure test. If your builder says you are fine, I would follow the NO POWER instructions. But open the spigot on the pump first. Once water is done spraying out, then proceed the other directions.