Place a pool pillow on the surface of your pool to keep the water from freezing. Visit your local pool supply shop for a pool pillow, or inflatable pillow that rests in the center of the pool. Always put this down before the cover, as the pillow will help your pool cover to hold up thin layers of snow and ice.
No! All pool types (in-ground, above ground, on-ground) need to keep water in the pool during winter, do not drain your pool to avoid the ice! In ground pools can pop out of the ground, and above ground pools can collapse inward, and the liner will shrink and discolor.
If you have an above ground pool with the pool filter system and plumbing above ground (like nearly all above ground pools), pipes and pumps can freeze up in less than an hour of minus 32 degrees. The same is true for inground pool equipment that is not running when temperatures are below freezing.
Helpful tips to keep your pool and its equipment safe during freezing temperatures. Run your pool pump continuously when temperatures are near or below freezing. You don't need to run your heater, moving water likely will not freeze. Disconnect any aerators and lines to slides.
PRO TIP: For short-term cold spells with temperatures between 0°F and 32°F, you can run your pool heater, as long as you started before freezing conditions began, and as long as you run your pump continuously. However, prolonged heater operation with water temperatures below 50° is not recommended.
Mild climate pools often freeze across the surface overnight. However, if the ice sheet becomes thicker than ¼” to ½”, it will put pressure on your pool tile and skimmers as the ice expands. Most pool tile is frost-free, but you should keep the water under the perimeter pool tile band to be safe.
Use a leaf blower on light, powdery snow to blow the snow off the cover. Wait for frozen snow and ice to melt on its own if it is a solid sheet on the cover. If you have a cover pump and it is buried under ice, pour a few gallons of hot water into one spot on the cover to let the device do its job.
Swimming pool antifreeze, also called non-toxic antifreeze, is the same stuff that RV owners can use in their motor home water systems. For swimming pool use, it can protect swimming pool pipes down to -40°, when added in correct proportion. Here's some Q&A regarding the use of pool plumbing antifreeze.
Oxidizers/ Calcium Hypochlorite/ Chlorine-Fee Shock: These are also sanitizers used to kill bacteria and algae. PH Increaser/Soda Ash: this increases the PH level. PH Reducer/Dry Acid: This will reduce the PH level. Alkalinity Increaser/ Sodium Bicarbonate: This will increase the total alkalinity.
When the ice sheet thaws very slightly, it will fall and possibly sharp edges could rip the pool liner. Check your pool during the winter for leaks by walking around the outside of the pool, looking for spongy spots, and pulling the pool cover back, and checking the water level in the pool.
As the ice melts and refreezes over the course of the week, the edges of the ice can become sharp and actually puncture your pool cover, damaging it or rendering it useless. If you have an aboveground pool, snow and ice can hurt your pool from the top of the pool cover and underneath your pool.
Pool Collapse – An above ground pool collapse is often caused by the results of ice damage, but it can also happen when there is too much snow accumulated on top of the pool and the frame cannot handle the weight.
While a thin layer of ice is unlikely to damage your pool, if you live in an area with continuous below-freezing temperatures, we highly recommend you winterize and close your pool at the end of swimming season. Keeping your pool open all year long is also an option.
It's possible to leave your above-ground pool up all winter with the water in it, since draining it completely may cause it to collapse. However, several steps and precautions are necessary to keep your pool safe through the winter.
You'll need to keep draining water off the cover with a pump or siphon to protect it from damage. Important: Never drain an above ground pool completely when winterizing. Your vinyl liner can dry out, shortening its life considerably.
Chlorine/non-chlorine chemicals – When adding chlorine or non-chlorine chemicals to “shock” your pool after a fill-up, wait about 24 hours or until levels are approximately 5 ppm. If you'll only be adding liquid chlorine, it's generally safe to swim after about 4 hours or until levels are 5 ppm or lower.
It's often recommended to shock your pool once a week. If you don't do it every week, you should at least do it every other week. This is necessary to maintain your pool's water chemistry.
Do Inflatable Pools Need Chemicals? No, inflatable pools do not need chemicals to stay clean and safe to swim in. However many larger inflatable pools will use chlorine to kill harmful bacteria.
you will need one gallon of non-toxic swimming pool antifreeze for each 25 feet of underground line to and from the pool (including all skimmer lines, all returns, and the main drain).
The Proper Chemicals: -Add 1 lb Granular Shock OR 1 gal. Liquid Shock per 5,000 gallons of pool water. -Add an appropriate sized "Winter Chemical Kit" or the proper amount of Algaecide/Winterizer. (If adding our famous "Winter Pill," add this pill right before you put on your cover--read directions on the Winter Pill.)