Help...freezing pool equipment!!!

Greetings to the best pool help community on the net...

Am in the DFW area and as anyone paying attention to the Super Bowl, we have been slammed with our worst week of winter weather in a LOOOOOONG time!

So here is my dilemma...I realize it may just be a wait and see situation, but hoping someone might chime in with some thoughts, advice, and hopefully, hope.

My pump motor went out two days before this hit our area. Normally during deep cold snaps, I just run my pump 24 hours through the freeze. But with pump gone out and no time to replace it, I could not run it. Was not too concerned at first, there had been a time or two in the past that I forgot to run pump during freezing and I just let things thaw and no big deal--usually our sub-freezing last maybe a couple of days at a time.

But now we are in our 4th day of sub-freezing, with our lows the past two nights hovering around 10 degrees. For the first time in 15 years of living in this house with a pool, the water top began to freeze. I first noticed the ice sheet on top of the water last night and went out this morning and broke up the ice--most places were just thin, but some had reached nearly a half inch thick. But nothing was frozen directly in the skimmer basket, so I hope that is a good sign. So that was cool, nothing too major.

But I started thinking that this could lead to real damage at the equipment pad. I looked things over this morning and there is no sign of breakage on the pipes or equipment. But peering through the pump strainer lid, I could see that water in there was frozen solid. My hope is that even with this long run of freezing, any water in the lines and filter and pumps would have room to push back along the lines for expansion, rather than expanding in the pipes themselves or worse the pumps or the filter. Again, seeing no cracks or breakage made me feel a little better.

I am really only worried about the filter (large sand Trition II 140) and the pentair booster pump. The main pump, if something messes up with that, not a big deal, because I am choosing to replace the whole pump and not just the motor. Reason for this is because the pump has been here 15 years from when we moved in, have put two motors on it in the past, and now have calculated that I have far too big a pump for my pool and that combined with the age, am just going to start with a whole new, properly sized pump. But I would hate to have to replace the filter or the booster.

So am I in deep you know what or should things work out as long as I allow everything to thaw before turning it all back on? I have the replacement pump enroute, so first warmer day over next couple of weeks, will replace that. I have also purchased new combo timer with freeze guard that will get installed when I do the new pump, along with some wiring upgrades back to main box.

Anyone with any advice or good words? Anything I should be doing at this point or should I just sit tight? We are supposed to get above freezing and into the mid-40s starting tomorrow and through Monday, but more winter mess is forecast beginning Tuesday, although with lows in the mid to upper 20s and not down into the single digits.

Thanks for everyone's time...know our bad storm in Texas does not compare to what some of you farther north may be going through, so I hope everyone is safe and sound and huddled up somewhere warm!!!

Paul

Hey Paul.

I think you'll be fine. However, it wouldn't hurt to pull the drain plug on the filter and the booster pump. Also, put the multiport in an 'in between' position. This should allow the water in the pipes (if it hasn't frozen already) to equalize to the pool level and out of the exposed pipes. In your area the pipes in the ground shouldn't freeze:)

Enjoy the Superbowl and let us know how the new pump does.

Thanks Ted...

Temps up in the mid 40s today, so got a chance to check things out. Not good but better than it could have been.

Main pump housing slightly split--replacing anyway, so no worries.

Booster pump and all the PVC plumbing looks intact.

But it was the filter that took the hit. Triton II 140 has big split in it. Damn, I know better than to let these things happen. Yes, horrible timing on the motor, but I should have uncapped all the closures and opened all the drain plugs. So add a new filter to the money already spent on pump. Add to that the fact that I did repair work on filter last summer and changed out all the gravel and sand.

The only thing keeping me from punching a wall is the fact that I should be able to salvage enough of the gravel and sand to fill new filter and the fact that I bought this filter one year used for 100 bucks 8 years ago. I wont go back with that big of a filter (only got it because it was such a deal), so I can probably get into the Triton II 60 for 4 bills shipped.

Oh well, in this area with the unusual arctic blast, not the end of the world. I know of many people with actual pipes bursting in house causing way more damage than I am facing. Just would rather be spending $400 on something else...guess this should be reposted in the lessons learned section!!!

Take care all...Paul