OK...so this is my first winter with an inground swimming pool.

I do not plan on winterizing the pool and shutting it down till spring, so my question is what is the best thing to do when temps fall below freezing?

Currently my pool main pump is set to run 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. and my waterfall feature pump is manual.

If temps fall below freezing for a while, should I leave both pumps running full time? or at least thru freezing temps?

Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks
beano

Where do you live? I am in the DFW area. I will run my pump overnight while the temps drop to 32 or below. At 32 I am not really concerned w/damage. My pool has a freeze sensor on it & it will automatically cut on/off as needed. This drives me crazy because I can hear it so that is mainly why I will set mine to run all night to avoid the constant on/off. At this time of year I would never run my pool for 12 hrs a day like you are currently doing. Heck, many days in the winter I don't run my pump at all.

I live in the B/CS area.

Yeah, I figured that my summertime pump setting was not what I should be doing now. I am going to cut it down to just 4-5 hours per day soon after this little freeze hits us.

I thought that the best thing was to run the main pool pump during the freeze time, but wasn't sure about the waterfall pump. Would you do the same with both pumps?


[This message has been edited by Beano Ag 92 (edited 12/9/2012 7:08p).]

If it were me I would run both pumps during freezing temps.

You need to see if your pool has a freeze setting on it. As someone mentioned it will run itself and you don't have to worry about it. If it doesn't you need to run your pumps all night.

Also make sure your pool fill up pipe is insulated if its exposed. Mine is at a hose bib where it originates before going under ground and I need to keep it insulated.

Also, I agree that you don't need to be running your pool 12 hours right now but before cutting it down to 4 or 5 make sure that you get 2 cycles of your pool through the pumps in that time. There are formulas online to help you figure that out.

[This message has been edited by Fairview (edited 12/9/2012 8:11p).]

My pool does not have auto fill...but the pipes from both my pumps are exposed...but I am assuming if I run my pumps during the freezing times, it would not be necceary to wrap those.

Where exactly would the freeze setting be? at the pump, or near the pool heater area?

[This message has been edited by Beano Ag 92 (edited 12/9/2012 8:31p).]

You are right about not needing to insulate the pipes as long as the pumps are running.

On my pool at least the freeze setting isn't really a setting as much as its just a feature. I don't have to so anything. If it gets close to freezing it just runs itself. It alternates through all the pumps including the vacuum booster.

I would look up the manual for the control panel you have and see if its a feature. The only other way is to keep an eye on it when it gets cold and see if it turns on.

Great information.

Thank you

I have a pool "control" panel in my house. There is a freeze control feature. If the temp drops & the pump is not on the pump will automatically turn on & run until the control "thinks" it should turn off. The thing I hate about this feature is that it can & does turn itself on & off within seconds. I don't think this is good for the pump motor. It is different when it is so cold that the pump runs for an extended period of time. Now I have just gotten to the point where I manually force my pump to stay on when temps hover around freezing. I also have a totally separate pump for my pool cleaner. I never run it during freezing temps. I just replaced it after 16 years of use.

[This message has been edited by Texas Ag Mom (edited 12/9/2012 9:49p).]

I think that I will turn both pumps on to run from 10p - 10a....that should do it.

Has anyone had an experience with a water feature / Waterfall icing over with the water still coming out over it?

I know that I had a small water feature that did this 2 years ago during the 15 degree hit that we took for many days.

What is the best way to figure out if your pool has the auto feature?

I'll will add another question. Is there a way to adjust the "on" temperature, as in I want it to not come on until it reaches 34 degrees. Mine has been running using the auto freeze control most of the day today, even though much of the afternoon was in the low 40's.

To answer Texag and Hockey, ours has a temperature dial where we can set what temp we want it to come on. I assumed that was standard, but maybe not.

agree on all counts - run the pump if the temp gets 32 or lower

and you don't need to run it much during the day in the winter b\c the sun isn't as warm/doesn't remove the clorine as much or whatever

So what is everyone's pump settings during the summer and what are they during the winter months? and when do you normally transition the pump settings?

My pool is about 25K gallons if that matters.

I realize that my pool builder should have gone over this with me, but I can honestly say that I prefer the information that I gather from TA and actually trust people's experiences over what a book will tell me.

I have mine going about 12 hours a day in the summer and half that now. I bring it down gradually usually as it passes decade marks in temperature (80's to 70's etc). That is also my guide on how often I shock.

I've been told that at a minimum in the winter you want two full cycles of your water to go through the pumps so it gets filtered, chlorinated, etc. How long that takes depends on how powerful your pump is and how much water it's rated to push through per minute. If you have a variable speed pump you have to factor that in as well.

[This message has been edited by Fairview (edited 12/11/2012 3:01p).]