Plumbing, Heating and Pool Repair Guides

Top 10 Mid Winter Swimming Pool Questions

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The winter months can actually be more expensive for the swimming pool owner believe it or not if the pool is not properly winterized. Things like frozen pipes or even frozen pumps and filters can cause you to have a huge repair bill come spring when the weather gets warmer. Another common thing that happens to many pools is that the cover blows off or comes loose during the winter months.

Making the right decision when something happens to your pool in the mid winter is very important for the swimming pool. Many people often say, “I will just wait to spring”, and ignore the warning signs or even worse do not respond to any damage caused to the pool or the cover during the winter.
Winterized Above Ground Pool
Things like leaving the pool cover off of the pool for 2 months after it blows off ca be bad for your pool. The more your pool is exposed to the harsh winter elements the more of a chance you have for damage to happen to your pool.

Many people also tend to forget that during the winter the pump & filter system is disconnected and the swimming pool water is not filtering. So with the pool cover remaining off and the sunlight hitting the pool water, this can throw off the total chemical balance causing your pool water to turn green or even black on the first warm day. Its always best to immediately get the swimming pool cover back on the pool as soon as it comes off.

Here are 10 of the most commonly asked questions during the mid winter. You will also find some answers and helpful solution’s to many of your problems.

What to do when the winter pool cover tears?

The first thing you need to do when your pool cover rips is to see how bad the damage is. If the damage is not to bad you can possibly repair the pool cover. If you have a safety cover, you then could bring it back to the dealer that installed it for repairs. If you have a standard pool cover you can buy a swimming pool cover repair kit or simply just replace the entire cover.

What to do when winter pool cover blow into the pool?

When the swimming pool cover blows into the pool you will want to get it out and re secure it as soon as possible so that you pool is protected from the winter elements. To do so just pull the cover out of the water and this time try to secure it a little bit better so it doesn’t come off so easy again.

What to do when above ground pool cover ripped in winter?

If your above ground swimming pool cover has ripped in the winter time, you will want to remove it from the pool and gauge the amount of damage. If the damage to the cover is extensive you will just want to replace the cover. If the damage is not that bad you can get a swimming pool cover repair kit from a local swimming pool company and fix the hole or the tear.

What will pool water do to copper pipe?

Swimming pool water can be corrosive to copper pipe over a long period of time if you do not balance your PH correctly. If you have to much acid or a high PH level in your swimming pool, the pool water will start to eat away at the copper pipes and the copper elements in your swimming pool heater if you have one.

What to do if your pool pump is frozen?

The best thing to do if your swimming pool pump is frozen is to defrost the pump. You can loosen the two pump unions and then unplug the pump and bring it indoors into a heated area where it will defrost in no time at all. Its always best to winterize your swimming pool pump before this happens.

What to do if pool cover comes off in winter?

If you pool cover comes off in the winter you will want to put it back on otherwise you pool liner or even the actual pool could be damaged from winter. If you have a safety cover make sure to adjust the straps and springs to make sure the cover is tight. If you have an above ground pool make sure that the winch and cable are tight and also use cover clips or water bags if you can to secure the cover even more. If yo have an in ground pool you can also use heavy objects to hold the pool cover down as well.

What if swimming pool level gets high in winter?

If the water in the swimming pool gets higher in the winter and reaches to the top of the pool you will want to pump a few inches of water out of the pool. This can be done by using a submersible pump or some kind of self priming pump such as a trash pump. You also could call a local swimming pool company and have then come out and pump the pool down for you.

What is the best thing to use to keep pool cover on in ground pool?

Every swimming pool company will tell you that water bags and aqua blocks are the best things to hold down a swimming pool cover when in fact that is not true but just an up sell of goods. The best thing to do is to get heavy wood boards or cider blocks and place then on the cover and around the pool. You could even use cement blocks and wood boards at the same time for an extra layer of protection. Some would also call or consider this a “green friendly” way of taking care of your pool because your not buying and wasting money on plastic water bags.

What is fastest way to unfreeze pipes to pool pump?

Depending on what type of pipe will actually depend on how fast you can unfreeze your swimming pool pipes. If your pipes are made from PVC pipe like most swimming pools then you will have to wait until the weather gets warmer unless these pipes are indoors and you can add heat to the area. There is really no safe and fast way to defrost or thaw PVC pipe.

What is best pump for pumping water off pool cover?

The best type of pump to remove water from the swimming pool cover would be a small submersible pump. These types of pumps remove water quickly and quietly and save energy as well. There are also called “cover pumps” or swimming pool cover pumps in many areas. You can find these pumps for sale at most swimming pool supply stores and even some large home centers.

23 Comments

  1. We have a 35yr old Anthony inground pool, the cooper piping is starting to fail. What are my options for repairing said poping?? Thanks in advance for all replies. REN

  2. I have a hayward pump at my pool, the pump works fine for a while and then loses pressure, what could be the reason?

  3. Soraya-

    If your pump is lossing its prime, you need to check the seal on your pump basket first. Verify all fittings are tight. I had this same issue, unfortunately the end result for me was a broken line going from the skimmer to the pump. Over the years, a large rock crushed my poly pipe.

    Good luck I hope your skimmer line is not broke.

  4. I live in Florida and we don’t get hard winters. It did reach freezing a few nights. I covered all of my pipes (PVC) when it did. I’ve never “winterized” my pool since I have a 6 person hot tub attached and I like to use it during the cool nights. Is there anything I should be doing in the wintertime (i.e. reduce the number of hours I run the pump)? It is a 20,000 gallon in ground pool. I run the pump 8 hours a day 365 days a year and check the chemicals once a week.

    • Hi Dawn,

      The loop loc cover should not droop at all. You will want to make sure that the cover is tight.

      Let me know if you have any other questions.

      Joseph

  5. We have a 30 foot round above ground pool, surrounded by decking. We nailed the cover through the gromets into the deck. Last year we had two of the big balloons above the water, and we spent the winter pumping water from two large puddles when it rained. This year we put four balloons, tied together, in the center, making sure the cover was tight to the deck. We now have 4 smaller puddles. Please advise us on what we can do to keep from being slaves to pumping water from our pool all winter.

  6. Hello,
    We have an above ground swimming pool. We had no problems with leaks during the summer but after we closed the pool we noticed the water level gone down. Right now the pool is completely empty, all the water has leaked out. Because of that the equalizer pillow sank to the bottom of the pool causing the pool cover to loosen and tearing. My question should I worry about covering the pool since there is no water in it. Will the pool liner get damaged over the winter? Is it possible for the sides of the pool to collapse. My husband insists we leave it go until spring but I have my concerns. We live in Maryland and we can have some pretty low winter temps and snow and ice.

    Thanks for your help.
    Mary

  7. Hi! My pool is leaking, which was discovered after closing it. I tried to keep filled but Chicago winter weather does not make this easy. Approximately half of the water in my 15 X 30 oval 52″ wall has leaked out and the cover has sunken. there is a deck a little more than half way around. I am using water bags to hold the cover down on the decked portion b/c the cable does not get all the way under the rail. I have a Titan semi-inground that has 6″ panels that interlock all the way around the sides. I am afraid the walls will cave in with all of the snow and ice pulling. What should I do?

    • Hi,

      If the water keeps emptying from the pool and you keep that cover on it, the pool could collapse inward, you’re right.

      I would remove the cover until you can have someone come and do the repair, I mean with that much water leaking your going to have to replace the liner anyhow.

      So I would keep the cover off or call a pool guy to come out and fix the leak / change the liner.

      Let me know if you have anymore questions or need more help,

      Joseph

      PS: Happy Holidays!

  8. Joe thanks for your response-the problem is right now it’s 20 degrees here in Chicago and there’s about a foot of snow on the cover…should I just cut the cable and let the cover go?

    • Hi Kerri,

      Yes, I would cut the cable, Let the cover fall into the pool and then the rain / snow water will fill the pool as the season continues. The pool water will be a mess by spring / summer but that’s better then a collapsed pool.

      Let me know if you need more help, Thanks for visiting our website as well.

      Joseph

  9. Hi,

    We have a pool pilot that watches the water temp for us. It got cold a few days ago and the pool SHOULD have been coming on, but the pilot says it is 75 degrees. Of course it isn’t. I found that the pool lines are frozen (PVC). We brought the pvc in that contains the salt converter, and everything else is not going anywhere.

    MY idea is to heat the area with a space heater and try to defrost it that way. Will that make it worse? Is the condensation going to create problems?

    Should we leave it until the weather warms up a bit…here in Virginia Beach, it USUALLY does not get this cold. Not for long anyway.

    HELP!!! :)

    • Hi Angela,

      Happy Holidays,

      Yes – you can heat the area with a space heater that can work most of the time, If its super cold you may have to wait, but I would want to fix that right away, Thats just me ;-)

      Let me know if you have more questions.

      Joseph

  10. I live in SC and it has been cold here recently. The pressure gauge on my sand filter is usually around 15psi. Since it’s gotten cold it is getting up to 45psi. When it warms up this pressure goes back down. Would the cold weather cause this? I’m running the pump during the cold weather.

  11. Hi,
    I just bought a new home with a heated inground pool. I call a professional to come check everything out and he replaced a lot of things includeing the freezeguard. I haven’t been to the house in a few days and once i got back, I saw a thick layer of ice covering the entire top of the pool. The freeze guard did not kick in. I am super paranoid and don’t know what to do. I want to know what problems I might have to deal with and how much such repares would cost me.
    Thank you,
    Elma

  12. I live in Northwest Florida and we usually do not have this long of a cold spell. I have been running my pool pump at night in order to keep the pipes from freezing. Tonight, my pump woke me in the middle of the night making loud noises and I eventually went outside and turned the pump off. I had the pump checked about three weeks ago and there is nothing wrong with it. Why is it making these loud noises and what can I do about it? How long does it take for pipes to freeze? Any suggestions will greatly be appreciated.

  13. i have a pool and the water is frozen i was just wondering would it be ok to put salt on it or is there something else i could do thanks for ur time

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