2 days below freezing down to 20F. Plan on running my main pump 24 hours a day at 35% with above ground plumbing through 20 degrees. Wasn't sure about my waterfall so I just disconnected it and drained the bowl. I see lots of emphasis on running the waterfall during a freeze. Should I reconnect and run or just leave it opened up?
Freeze Protection with Waterfall
- Thread starter briggss3
- Start date
I.drain my waterfall pump and leave all of my waterfall Jandy valves partway open whenever a hard freeze is expected. Only runs main pump in freeze protect mode. Has always worked fine for me.
In general, running your waterfalls continuously should also work. I don't do this because it's a waste of electricity and because my waterfalls leak a bit when running (fixing the leaks will be one of my spring projects).
In general, running your waterfalls continuously should also work. I don't do this because it's a waste of electricity and because my waterfalls leak a bit when running (fixing the leaks will be one of my spring projects).
BowserB
Silver Supporter
- Jul 29, 2018
- 785
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Hey, Lake Jackson. We're a bit farther north than you here in Katy, but here's our story from 2021. During the big Texas freeze in February 2021, freeze protection kept my Pentair Intellifo going all the time. A problem some in my neighborhood had, though, was electricity outages. Over about three days of intermittent power outages, our area was without electricity for as long as 12 hours. Pool pumps of course shut down. We have a natural gas standby generator, so we were OK, but I forgot about the water feature pump. Had I been even a little bit smarter, I would have either shut it off and drained it or left it running. Instead I did neither, and it froze and broke. $500 repair. Also the backflow preventer for the autofill froze and broke. Another $500 (and since where it broke there was no cutoff, we had to get a plumber at premium rates to fix it, although it just happened that where it broke, I was able to plug it with a wine cork and zip tie. I don't remember how cold it got, but freeze protection did keep our filter pump, filter, and everything downstream alive.
Another problem we had is that even though we had electricity, apparently our Internet provider, Xfinity, did not. Our Intelliconnect controller relies on Internet, not just local area network, for communication with our equipment, so any command to our equipment is routed through servers in Virginia, and when the Internet is down, so is the Intelliconect. Also, we had AT&T Wireless at that time, and our house is in an AT&T dead zone, so our cell phones depend on Wifi to work in the house. There is no wired telephone service available where we are, so when the autofill burst, I had to go next door to use my neighbor's Verizon wireless phone to call the plumber. (Since then, we've moved our Internet to Fidium fiber Internet and T-Mobile wireless. So far, brief electricity outages have not lost Internet, and T-Mobile has an OK signal at our house.)
This time: Last week I shut off water supply to our irrigation system, drained and vented the irrigation backflow preventer and shut off the timer. I don't use pool autofill anymore, but I shut off that water supply and vented. My water feature pump is drained with the drain left open and the faucet above open as well so there is no vacuum holding water in that system. I have freeze protection set to come on at 37 degrees and shut off at 40. Freeze protection pump speed is at 2745 (couldn't get that slider to stop at 2750.). I'm still open to suggestions for other measures. As to suggestions I make, often: if you live in Texas, as long as that useless group ERCOT is spending a billion dollars a year calling the shots for our electricity availability, you really need a standby generator. During the big freeze, ours ran an accumulated 50+ hours, and even during ordinary times, it runs 10 or 12 times a year for between 5 and 40 minutes. It ran for 14 hours after hurricane Beryl.
Another problem we had is that even though we had electricity, apparently our Internet provider, Xfinity, did not. Our Intelliconnect controller relies on Internet, not just local area network, for communication with our equipment, so any command to our equipment is routed through servers in Virginia, and when the Internet is down, so is the Intelliconect. Also, we had AT&T Wireless at that time, and our house is in an AT&T dead zone, so our cell phones depend on Wifi to work in the house. There is no wired telephone service available where we are, so when the autofill burst, I had to go next door to use my neighbor's Verizon wireless phone to call the plumber. (Since then, we've moved our Internet to Fidium fiber Internet and T-Mobile wireless. So far, brief electricity outages have not lost Internet, and T-Mobile has an OK signal at our house.)
This time: Last week I shut off water supply to our irrigation system, drained and vented the irrigation backflow preventer and shut off the timer. I don't use pool autofill anymore, but I shut off that water supply and vented. My water feature pump is drained with the drain left open and the faucet above open as well so there is no vacuum holding water in that system. I have freeze protection set to come on at 37 degrees and shut off at 40. Freeze protection pump speed is at 2745 (couldn't get that slider to stop at 2750.). I'm still open to suggestions for other measures. As to suggestions I make, often: if you live in Texas, as long as that useless group ERCOT is spending a billion dollars a year calling the shots for our electricity availability, you really need a standby generator. During the big freeze, ours ran an accumulated 50+ hours, and even during ordinary times, it runs 10 or 12 times a year for between 5 and 40 minutes. It ran for 14 hours after hurricane Beryl.
That's a great example of the myriad ways that difficult-to-anticipate issues can "get you" in these situations. Sounds like you're well prepared for next week's event.
One item that I believe more people with pools but without automatic standby generators should consider is a "power off alarm". I have one that will sound a shrill siren, loud enough to wake me, if the power is lost, so I can either drain the main pump (and booster pump, filter, and heater) or hook up and manually start my large portable generator.
One item that I believe more people with pools but without automatic standby generators should consider is a "power off alarm". I have one that will sound a shrill siren, loud enough to wake me, if the power is lost, so I can either drain the main pump (and booster pump, filter, and heater) or hook up and manually start my large portable generator.