Keep Your Pool Safe This Winter: Understanding Freeze Protection
Hey there pool owners. As the days start their mood swings from T-Shirt Tuesdays to Carhartt Cold, we in Dallas know what that means: it's about to get cold for a long time! And with that cold temperature comes risks not just for the roads but for your pool and its equipment. While it may not be the first thing on your mind, this is a good time for us to proactively remind you about freeze protection for your pool.
Why Freeze Protection Matters
You know how water expands when it freezes? While it's a cool science experiment, it's not fun when it's in your pool's plumbing and equipment. When the temp drops below freezing, and your water is stagnant for longer while your equipment runs for less time, that stagnant water in your pipes can freeze and destroy everything you've paid a lot of good money to maintain!
Now, we’re not trying to scare you with stories of exploding pumps and filters. It’s very rare that anyone will see catastrophic failures of equipment like we did back in the winter of 2021 where it was near 0 for several days in a row. But it is normal for major cracking and breakages if not taken care of early.
So What’s the Solution?
The Freeze Protector. This handy device is all about prevention. It keeps a constant reading on the outside temperature with its built-in thermometer, and when the outdoor temperature drops below whatever temperature you've set your freeze protector to (ranging from 30-42°f ) it jumps into action to get the water moving in your plumbing and equipment and puts it in a protective state. The good thing about this is that moving water doesn't freeze. It acts like keeping your pool in a cozy, running state, even when Jack Frost is nipping at its nose.
But here's the deal: These freeze protectors are seasonal workers – they're mostly off-duty except in winter - so, it's important to give them a check-up before winter rolls-in. We recommend making it an annual ritual, either by you or your pool company, to take a quick test to ensure they're ready to face the cold, keeping your pool safe and sound.
Power & Electricity
Now, as important and helpful as Freeze Protectors are, there is one kicker: Freeze Protectors need power to function. And as we know in Dallas, the past few years have been quite disappointing as we've found out our infrastructure isn't built to handle the temps. This has left a lot of people without power for a long time, and ultimately caused some of that aforementioned catastrophic damage. In cases where you lost power, it's important to have a backup & know what to do when it goes out. The good things is that this backup is quite simple, and involves winterizing your pump, heater, and everything that has the ability to be winterized.
To learn how to do this, you can check out this blog we made a while back which details step-by-step how to winterize. Important note - you should only winterize your equipment when there is no power or schedule for it to turn on. Having your equipment run dry can damage it in multiple ways.
Wrapping-Up
All-in-all, our recommendation is simple: Either ensure your freeze protector is working, or get one installed if you don't have one. A little bit of preparation goes a long way. And just like your insurance, you don't realize you need it until its usefulness kicks in. Here's to a worry-free winter, where the only thing you'll need to worry about is if your coffee is ready!
Stay warm and safe, and as always, feel free to reach out to us if you have them!
