First off, I apologize if this is the wrong place to post this.....but once you read it, you will understand why I wasn't quite sure.

We have an AG pool, 16x26, with a deep end of about 6.5 feet. It's unheated. I am the exclusive pool keeper in our family. Thanks to info I've learned here, I have been able to save myself a lot of time, and our family a ton of money over the years, I'm sure. Bleach and baking soda is about it truthfully. However, as I suspected might be the case eventually, our sons are teenagers now and I practically have to pay them (literally) to use the pool. Neither my husband nor I like cool water, and we do not have a heater. Hence, we don't even like going in unless the water gets up into the 80s honestly. It just seems our time with a pool has come to a close. I can't justify running a filter 8 hours a day, vacuming, adding bleach, etc. for somebody to go in once every three weeks. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. It just makes you feel GUILTY.

We had a nice cedar deck built onto the pool when it was installed years ago. Please don't choke, but I have always been a nature lover, and have always wanted a pond. We are considering turning our pool into a pond rather than rip it down and try to get a few pennies out of it. I guess I'm not the only one, because after searching the net, I've seen quite a few people who had the same idea and actually did it. They were all inground pools though, so this would have certain challenges.

A couple questions that somebody here might be able to answer that might help in our decision......I know the pool freezes in the winter. We have a main drain in the deep end, and I have to winterize it by putting antifreeze in it. I've gone out and felt the ice, so I know it is freezing quite a ways down, but never measured how far. It would be helpful to know about how deep it freezes. I live in Southeast Michigan. Anybody have any clue how deep it might be freezing? And how does water freeze? From the top down, obviously, but how about from the outside in too? I'm assuming the portion of the deep end that is underground (about 1.5 to 2 feet) probably does not freeze. Would this be safe to say? I know a lot depends on the harshness of the particular winter, of course.

Another question that would be nice to have answered is if the main drain could be capped so that it could be taken out of the equation. Do they make a special cap to close it off if you no longer want to use it? We have a valve external to the pump which switches between skimmer and main drain, or a combination of both, but I would like to have the water not go into the underground plumbing at all to prevent freeze damage to the pipe. Obviously I could not use antifreeze....it would kill the fish.

I already know how crazy this probably sounds to most of you, because this is a group of real pool lovers. I understand totally. I have never been a real traditional person....I like different. Although we enjoyed our pool for many years, it really has served its purpose for our family and we are ready to move on to something new. So if anybody can answer these couple questions, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks a million! Please don't hurt my little feelings. I am feeling rather vulnerable lately. )

Sandy