Newsletter – December 2009

According to the local meterologists we are going to get some pretty cold temperatures Friday, so I wanted to take this opportunity to make sure everyone is prepared to keep thier pool equipment from freezing.  Below are some steps to make sure nothing gets damaged.

Keep the Equipment Running

Moving water has a hard time freezing, so usually your best option to prevent freeze damage is keeping everything going.  A lot of pools have freeze guards that will automatically do that for you.  It is important to make sure that the main pump is running whether is is turned on by the freeze guard or manually if you don’t have one.  If you have a booster pump for a cleaner, running the main pump also protects it and there is no reason to keep the booster pump running.

When in Doubt – Drain the Equipment

If your main pump is not functional or if you have additional pumps, like for a waterfall, it is best to drain the water out of any equipment and plumbing that is exposed.

• Remove the drain plugs for anything that is holding water.  Pumps and filters all have plugs at the bottom.

• Open any air reliefs.  Usually there is one at the top of the filter and possibly a hose spigot located in the plumbing lines.

• Turn off all of the breakers to the equipment so that nothing gets turned on accidentally or by the freeze guard.

• Remember to reinstall drain plugs, close air reliefs and reprime pumps before restarting the equipment.

Repair Leaks

If there are any leaks (even small ones) at any of the equipment or plumbing, can cause ice build up to occur from the constant output of water.  Ice accumulation could possibly break pieces of equipment or plumbing, so it is best to take care of these leaks before they potentially lead to a bigger problem.

Save Energy

Since it is more likely to freeze at night, I typically recommend that automatic timers for the pool equipment be set to run at night.  This way you don’t have your equipment running during the day to keep the pool clean and then again at night to keep things from freezing.  You can accomplish both if the timer is set to turn the pool equipment on during the early morning hours.  Keep in mind the equipment needs to run anytime the air temperature is 32 degrees or below.
If you have any questions about protecting your equipment don’t hesitate to give us a call.  Making sure freeze damage is prevented can save you on some very costly repairs!

Give us a call (940) 384-7665

Best Regards,

Nick Day
Gohlke Pools