How do you drain and winterize the Fantasea solor decks for winter storage?

[Hunter494]

Hi new to the forum and I was wondering what is the best way to get the water out of the solar decks and hoses for winter storage? I had previously had been using a shop vac to suck the water out the decks and then reverse the hose to blow the remaining water out of the hoses and solar deck but still had a problem with water freezing and cracking the a couple of the solar decks, is there a better way to accomplish this procedure? I purchased the pool in 1984 and just replaced the liner last year but have not reconnected the solar deck because of this freezing problem I had in 1999 but because of the cool and rainy summer I am thinking of removing the damaged deck and purchasing replacement decks to replace the cracked ones. The side walls were installed using the optional 3/4" treated plywood when the pool was installed and still seem to be in great shape as is the rest of the structure. Any ideas or advise of a different more effective way of draining the decks?

[CarlD]

I'm sorry but new registrants aren't being accepted into the general pool of members. Only the site owner can do that and he hasn't been around since November.

Meanwhile, I AM a FantaSea owner and it is a problem. I never try to suck the panels dry but instead try to blow them out. I don't know what your size pool is, but with mine there's no way you can blow out all the panels at once, all the way around. Instead, I disconnect all four corners and in the middle of the long sides That way I have to blow out 6x20' sections of decking. Takes a while, but biting the bullet and doing it right off the bat seems to work. I do frequently have to replace panels, but not every year, and I have successfully welded panels that leaked. Leaking hoses are throw-aways. I rarely have freeze damage on the panels or hoses. Since I also split my solar panels into 2 separate systems, each with its own ball valve and return at the far end of the pool, I already have the panels split into sections.

It DOES take a long time to blow out the panels and hoses, but if you shake the hoses you can tell if there's water still in them. Be patient. Also do NOT walk on the panels in winter unless it is an emergency--the cold makes them more brittle as well.

If the treated plywood is holding up, all power to you! I had the "Space Age" panels and they lasted 12 seasons, barely. Replaced them this spring with 3/4" pressure treated plywood and it seems to resist the force of the water better.