Hard Freeze Coming Sunday, Monday and Tuesday Night In Frisco, Texas and Surrounding Areas!
Tomorrow night, 12/31/2017, Monday and Tuesday night we are expecting a HARD FREEZE. Freeze damage can be very expensive, so we have put together a short list of things that some homeowners sometimes forget to check when freezing weather hits.
Pool circulation is the most important part of keeping your pool pipes and equipment from freezing!
Please remember this list is only a recommendation. This is not a guarantee your pool will not freeze, just a list that can hopefully help put your mind at ease.
Things to Consider:
Pool Water Level:
Double check the pool is full to the middle of the tile line or at the bottom of the overflow grate if you have one installed. If the water level gets low, the skimmers will suck air and the pump can lose prime. This would not be good!
Baskets:
Please remember to check and make sure your skimmer and pump baskets are not full of debris. This can also cause your pump to suck air and lose prime. Again, not good!
Skimmer Doors:
Please check and make sure the skimmer doors are moving freely inside the skimmer mouth. Sometimes these can get stuck in the upright position which will cause the door to block the water flow from getting inside the skimmer mouth. This can also cause your pump to suck air and lose prime. Again, not good!
Pool Fill:
Some pool owners have a pool fill line connected directly to the house hose spigot. It is very important to unhook the spigot during freezing temperatures because the fill line has constant water pressure with the faucet in the open position. This could not only break outside the faucet but could potentially cause a leak inside the brick area. Not good!
***Unhooking will also now allow you to cover your faucet like the other ones around your house***
Computer Controls:
It’s normal for pools using computer controls to see the “freeze protect” bounce from pool mode to spa mode. This is totally normal. The reason is to make sure both bodies of water can circulate enough not to freeze. Usually this is set to switch back and forth roughly every 20 minutes or so depending on which system.
Water Hoses:
Keep in mind, if your water hose is left outside during a freeze you might not be able to use it if your pool gets low on water.
***We recommend moving at least one water hose inside your garage just in case. Don’t forget to empty it first ☺ ***
DE Filters:
Most all Foley Pool customers that have a DE filter will have a spigot connected to the backwash line located at the equipment area. This valve will need to be opened to prevent the backwash line from freezing. Not all pool companies use this, so you may not have one.
If you’re too late!
Unfortunately, if for some reason you find yourself in a situation where your pool is down or not running for whatever reason, here are a few things to remember…
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- It might be too late to keep things from freezing depending on how long the pool has been down. Once a pool has frozen, there’s not a lot you can do but play the waiting game and hope for the best.
- All pumps, filters and heaters have freeze/drain plugs located in different areas depending on your model type that can be removed to help these equipment pieces from having more damage.
- ***If you are going to be removing plugs, make sure and kill the power to all of the equipment. This is very important! ***
Pump
Usually most pumps have plugs located on the front or sides of the pump. They are usually kind of small plugs but this will drain the water from the pump pot. The pump pot is the wet end of the pump.
Filters
Most filters will have a freeze/drain plug located either underneath or at the back of the filters. You will need to open the air relief valve to help empty the filter of water.
Heaters
This is more difficult but a heater also has a few freeze/drain plugs located inside the heater. Where these are can vary depending on the model type, but it’s a good practice to do what we said above with these as well.
Have Questions or Concerns?
Whether you're a past Foley Pools customer or not, if you're concerned about your pool in the freezing upcoming weather, just contact us.