Since I don't use a pool guy unless something breaks down, do I need to lube anything else besides the gasket in the secondary filter basket at the pump location? (Hayward sand filter) I'll be covering September 2nd, a short five weeks from now already, to avoid that first onslaught of falling leaves since the water will be too cold anyway because of diminishing sunlight. I don't officially close, just shock and cover and run the pump those handful of nights during the winter that our temps drop below 32.

Also, let's say the water temperate is 78-79 when I cover (yes, that's too cold for me!), which might also be considered warm to stop operations for the season. Historically, I run the pump while I'm at work for about 10 hours a day for about six weeks, but is this really necessary? For some reason my intuition has always kicked in saying I should run the pump half days, but maybe I don't need to do that? Might as well not pay for the electricity if no reason to. Thanks for any thoughts!