Different climatic and weather conditions differentiate our responses to the same things in different regions. If you live in a country with temperate weather, you are lucky enough to escape some procedures to achieve a satisfactory state of things.
Still, if you live in places where snows fall and things can go on freezing for days, you must have an organized knowledge of how to run your home facilities. However, many methodologies are employed to maintain a normal state of swimming pools when it freezes, and it is normal for several questions to be raised from home users who wish to have the best of their swimming pool.
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Will Running Pool Pump Prevent Your Pool From Freezing?
Running a pool pump effectively prevents the freezing of pool water during winter. When the water flows with adequate speed, it builds up a lot of heat energy that prevents the coagulation of its particles into cold parts.
If the pool pipe and pump system are above ground, at a temperature lower than 32 Fahrenheit or 0° Celsius, the systems and swimming pool materials will begin to experience freezing themselves even though the range is the freezing point of water. If the temperature drops further, the pump will experience difficulty circulating water in a normal state.
Nonetheless, no matter the amount of drop in temperature, running the pool pump will prevent freezing for a long time before it is overcome. At this moment of drop in temperature, the pipes, filter, valves, and the whole system will be left entirely unworking, even if they are anti-winter coatings or mechanisms. It wouldn’t only stop the pumping process but also damage the components as they will struggle to work in this harsh working environment.
Effects of frozen water in a swimming pool
One of the worst nightmares for swimming pool owners is a frozen pool. It exposes the swimming pool to many vulnerabilities and causes the owner to have to repair the damages caused. Below are common threats posed by a frozen swimming pool:
- Burst pipes: Most pipes are made of PVC, and when subjected to either a low or a very high temperature, they lose form. Pipes connecting your filter system, heaters, skimmers, and others tend to burst during winter if care isn’t taken.
- Cracked-off pool tiles: Ice makes pool tiles expand and break off from the surface of the walls. The ice formed creates pressure that it could withstand over time after it has frozen.
- Vinyl liner damage: Swimming pools with vinyl liners need water to make them wet and prevent them from tearing off. In the absence of this, the vinyl liner will automatically get damaged.
- Severe cracking of the filter and general swimming pool functioning mechanisms: The components aren’t safe from the damages, and in most cases, they are the ones seriously affected.
When wouldn’t you be able to prevent freezing in your swimming pool again?
Anything lower than the freezing point of water (32 Fahrenheit or 0° Celsius), the task begins. But if it continues to drop steadily without seizing, you are advised to turn off the pump. Anything below -10°C, the pump will start making weird sounds that notify you that it is overworking itself. If the pump and the other systems are below the ground level, you still stand a chance to continue without worrying about how the pump was damaged.
Your swimming pool type also determines when you should give in to nature. Above-ground swimming pools are easier to be affected by below-ground levels. When you also check your financial ability and notice that the electric energy bill the pump generates is going higher, you are advised you don’t do more than yourself. Still, some DIYs will be recommended in this article.
If you can keep the pump circulating the water 24 hours a day, you are unlikely to get a frozen swimming pool’s water.
Should I Drain My Swimming Pool When The Temperature Drops?
It is a bad idea that will result in much damage to your swimming pool’s structure. Keep the water running, and you are safe from the disadvantages thrown by the drop-in temperature.
If the pool water freezes and you have drained the water, the liner will shrink, and the swimming pool wall is most likely to collapse. If it is an inground swimming pool, the structure can pop out of the ground and crack off. But if the water is inside when it froze, the structure will maintain the same shape, and if anything were to happen, it would be very minimal.
Do not let your pool get frozen.
How To Prevent Your Swimming Pool From Freezing
As a swimming pool owner, the best you should do to minimize or avoid freeze damage is to prevent your pool from freezing up in the first place. Many who are professionals in dealing with swimming pools don’t panic about how to protect their pool from freezing because they know what to do beforehand. This is the same thing you will have to do – learn about the preventive measures that should be put in place whenever winter approaches.
1. Use of pool winter cover
There is preparation for winter in most swimming pools, which is called the winterization process. Algaecides, pool shocks, anti-rust, stain sequestrants, and other chemicals are added as winterizing chemicals while mechanisms like pool cover and active pumping system are used.
The water temperature drops faster when there is direct snow contact with the water in the pool. It takes a lot of time for the swimming pool to get frozen without direct contact or influence from near objects. Pool winter covers are cost-effective and can prevent quick freezing of water. In addition to that, it also limits the introduction of debris and dirt that can contaminate the water during winter.
Visit your local store to purchase one precisely for the surface area of your swimming pool. Clean off the ice collated on it after some time with a roof rake, and it will serve its purpose efficiently.
2. Running pump system
A running pump system will never let the water get frozen unless the temperature gets to the extremities. You can run this before the prevalence of the temperature drop. Make the pump run 24 hours when the temperature drops and stays like that.
It will be challenging for the water to form ice when running. If you notice ice forming on it, you can increase the speed of the flow. Having a pump running before the start of the freezing will be advised as it wouldn’t take much effort for your pumping system to keep the water condition as wished.
3. Automatic freeze detector
Many owners install automatic freeze detectors while installing the swimming pool facilities like filters and automatic chlorination systems. This mechanism will activate the pump system to run whenever the swimming pool’s water temperature goes below specific ranges.
Whenever there is a drop in temperature and it reaches the stage, it automatically turns on your pump to make the water move immediately. It is much easier. If combined with pool covers, it uses up reduced energy as the pool cover will also help it.
Maintenance of mid-skimmer water level:
The water level of the swimming pool should be neither too low nor high. It will make water circulation difficult and ineffective for the purpose it has to serve in this situation. Make the water level mid-skimmer level, and if more than that, use the main drain system. If less, pump more water into it until it attains the water level advised.
All these are things you can put in place before winter starts. You can then evade the possibility of damages to your components during winter.
Procedures To Take To Defreeze A Frozen Pool
Since water freezes from the top, what you might call total freezing could be a mild ice layer over your swimming pool. It is pretty simple if you intend to defreeze the swimming pool’s water instantly and put it up. Let’s get started.
- Turn off all the pumps.
- Create a tent over the pool to limit ice drops during the processes.
- Prepare hot water from your kitchen and pour it across the surface. DO this repeatedly till you notice the ice breaking.
- You can use a small electric heater for smaller pools by turning it on and placing it under the tent created.
- You can also use a home dryer for small above-ground pools.
- Remove the lids/plugs from reachable pipes, then pour hot water into the inlet.
- The ice will break, and the equipment too will be ready to work after doing these for some time.
- Turn your pump on and start water circulation to prevent future freezing.
What should I do when my swimming pool has almost frozen, and I don’t have any means to prevent further freezing?
This is likely to happen when your power source is off or you cannot foot the bill of 24 hours running the pump.
It will take an extremely long time for running water to freeze, but if at any stage you notice the ice forms are prevalent, and you don’t have any means to stop it, remove lids from the pumps, motors, filters, and chlorinators, and the heaters.
Remove the relief valve from your filter system and keep all the collected materials inside a bag. Put the bag somewhere safe indoors. When the weather condition becomes favorable and unfreezing, you can return it.
Final Thoughts
Maintaining a swimming pool requires your all to look as beautiful and functional as wished. To do that, you must endeavor to give your best always and avoid situations that will demand preventable bills or problems.
Running a pool pump will prevent water freezing, and this depends on the temperature, environmental influences, and the pumping speed. Nonetheless, you can always have a warm and accessible swimming pool in winter.
