What is my best option to protect my equipment from the coming weather?

[SlipperyPete]

In Louisiana, we are expecting up to 6 inches of snow and temps as low as 13 degrees within the next 36-48 hours. I have a single pump with a spa and pool. I turned off freeze protect a long time ago b/c I didn't like the valve changing every 5 minutes as I've had issues with that one in the past; It has since been replaced. Anyway, I am currently warming up the pool to about 80 degrees. I plan to cut the heater before the snow starts and the temps drop to below freezing. I manually moved my intellivalve so I believe I'm pulling water through both sources (pool and spa). My pool setting pushes water through the spa jets. Few questions...

Am I doing enough for my equipment just leaving it running?
Do I still need to tarp the equipment? I have a tarp, but I'm concerned that the tarp will just collapse with the snow and create a mess.
Should I turn on my bubblers and deck jets to make sure water is flowing through those pipes too?

Weather: Snow starting early AM tonight. 36 hours ranging from 32 degrees down to 13. Wednesday the temps will get to the high 30's. Thursday afternoon I should be getting back up to the 40's and warmer weather arriving on Friday.

 

[1poolman1]

In Louisiana, we are expecting up to 6 inches of snow and temps as low as 13 degrees within the next 36-48 hours. I have a single pump with a spa and pool. I turned off freeze protect a long time ago b/c I didn't like the valve changing every 5 minutes as I've had issues with that one in the past; It has since been replaced. Anyway, I am currently warming up the pool to about 80 degrees. I plan to cut the heater before the snow starts and the temps drop to below freezing. I manually moved my intellivalve so I believe I'm pulling water through both sources (pool and spa). My pool setting pushes water through the spa jets. Few questions...

Am I doing enough for my equipment just leaving it running?
Do I still need to tarp the equipment? I have a tarp, but I'm concerned that the tarp will just collapse with the snow and create a mess.
Should I turn on my bubblers and deck jets to make sure water is flowing through those pipes too?

Weather: Snow starting early AM tonight. 36 hours ranging from 32 degrees down to 13. Wednesday the temps will get to the high 30's. Thursday afternoon I should be getting back up to the 40's and warmer weather arriving on Friday.

Yes, just running the pump is the best you can do unless you want to drain everything, including the pool plumbing after you have lowered the level below the returns. As long as there is water moving through the system, it should be fine. That means run the pump. Keep in mind that your automation has built-in freeze protection, but I never rely on that. Don't have to cover the equipment.
Bubblers are under water, so they should be safe. Deck jets should drain back into the pool when not in use so they, too, should be OK. You could open the valve to them with the pump off and that should allow water in that line to drain down if it hasn't.
For the sake of your heater, don't use that tablet feeder. If you want to use tablets, put them into a floating dispenser. A better option would be to remove that feeder and get a SWG.

 

[Homebrewale]

Run the pool equipment but have a plan to drain the equipment if you lose power.

 

[Newdude]

Am I doing enough for my equipment just leaving it running?

Probably. A tent with a couple old school light bulbs under it would be even better.

My only concern this time is the 6 inches of snow (promptly slush) that will be pushed into the skimmers. You might have some real sub freezing water running through the equipment.

Do I still need to tarp the equipment? I have a tarp, but I'm concerned that the tarp will just collapse with the snow and create a mess.

You can either broom it off halfway through and after, or put it up after the storm to cover you through the rest of the cold.


Locate all your drain plugs now and how to drain all the plumbing above ground, in case of power loss during the storm. It's easier for me to remove a couple pipes while opening the drain plugs then it is to sit there while it drains. Anywho, figure that out in much more favorable conditions now.

 

[generessler]

Some of us run our pools all year. Some good advice in this Wiki article. If, as the article says, you can arrange for some water flow through each pipe, you ought to be fine even without running the heater.

A tarp is a good idea to keep the equipment accessible. But I've never understood how that could prevent freezing. Water is flowing through everything at 10's of gpm. Any heat flow a tarp could block is probably completely overwhelmed by that flow. I.e, water temp is king in this case. But ymmv.

 

[SlipperyPete]

Thanks for the replies. I lost power in the last freeze. But it was early on in the freeze so I was able to come here and get advice to drain my pump. The only thing I lost in was my RPZ valve.

 

[SlipperyPete]

Yes, just running the pump is the best you can do unless you want to drain everything, including the pool plumbing after you have lowered the level below the returns. As long as there is water moving through the system, it should be fine. That means run the pump. Keep in mind that your automation has built-in freeze protection, but I never rely on that. Don't have to cover the equipment.
Bubblers are under water, so they should be safe. Deck jets should drain back into the pool when not in use so they, too, should be OK. You could open the valve to them with the pump off and that should allow water in that line to drain down if it hasn't.
For the sake of your heater, don't use that tablet feeder. If you want to use tablets, put them into a floating dispenser. A better option would be to remove that feeder and get a SWG.

I don’t use that auto chlorinator or whatever it’s called. The only time I use it is once or twice a year when we go on vacation, I will put tablets in there to deliver chlorine to the pool slowly while I’m out of town. Other than that, I am a liquid chlorine guy thanks to this board.

 

[Newdude]

Any heat flow a tarp could block is probably completely overwhelmed by that flow

Every little bit of insurance helps.

If the temps drop from 25 to 13 overnight and it's windy, the rapid cooling to ambient temperature from the wind chill is a concern. With a half rear lean-to type tent and some light bulbs, it may even remain slightly above freezing under there when it's 13 and windy out. Or not. But it's easy enough to try to protect $4500+ in equipment.

Or if you dont wake up immediately with an overnight power outage. The already below freezing water in the pipes may freeze solid in minutes intead of the usual hours.

2x3s are $3 each at HD. I'd slap something together to hold the tarp well and then I'd reuse the 2x3s down the road when something else arose.