How to winterize your pool: This depends on where you reside. I can only speak of the Western part of the U.S. because that is where I’ve owned my businesses. 1) If you don’t have ‘freeze control’, then change your timer to turn on around midnight, off around six a.m. As long as water is flowing through the pipes, they won’t freeze and burst, and the pool water will be moving which will prevent the surface from freezing. 2) If you have solar panels, shut the valve going to the panels, then drain the tubing. Sometimes you may need to go up on the roof to open the connectors, it depends on how the panels were installed. You may want to call a professional to do this. 3) If you have a heater with a by-pass valve plumbed in, open the by-pass valve. If you don’t have a by-pass valve, then be sure to run your system at night, and as an extra precaution, throw a blanket on the top of the heater. The tubing for the heat exchanger is very small and freezes up easily (especially if your equipment is on the north side and doesn’t get sun). If the tubes get blocked, and the pump is turned on, a pipe will most likely burst. 4) If you have a water feature that you don’t want running all night, wrap the pipes and cover the pump…best to be safe. 5) Anti-siphon valves should be wrapped and/or covered. I have experienced auto-fill valves getting frozen either open or shut, you may want to lay a piece of carpet over the auto-fill cover.
All these steps are preventive measures that are easy to do and may save major repair costs in the future.
TIP: If you have a freeze protection sensor and you aren’t sure it’s working here’s how to test it…External sensor- Make sure system is off (leave in ‘auto’ if you have an indoor panel). Dip sensor in a glass of ice water. If it’s working, your filter will turn on. Be sure the temperature setting is set at 34-36 degrees. In-line sensor- You must unscrew the clamp holding the sensor in place. GENTLY remove sensor from the pipe and place in a glass of ice water. Again, be sure system is off but is in ‘auto’. Pump should turn on if sensor is working. Removing a sensor from in-line is a very delicate task. You may have to replace the washer, or silicone it when you put it back.