Pool opening on the way!

[CarlD]

Hi CarlD
Curious to hear from you. You are someone whose posts I often read closely...

Well, Thank You! It's always nice to hear that--we all try very hard to help each other.

Not malarkey at all. Ice expands and breaks pipes. He's telling you the honest truth.

That is, if you haven't removed them, drained them and placed them in the basement, as I do. I have a lot of TigerFlex so I roll it all up. My pool, in the winter has plugs in the returns and drains, an Aquador over the skimmer, and a Gizmo in the skimmer. But no pipes.

Not everybody can do that so they have to blow out in-ground pipes and put in safe anti-freeze to protect them.

I DO have solar panels connected by flexible hoses. I pull strategic ones and blow out the panels. Those hoses have a lot of give in case water gets in them.

As for the pool--I lower the water below the returns and skimmer--about 2" below the lowest (but not my low drain). I have a mesh safefty cover so the water goes through it into the pool. I check it every month or so and, if necessary, syphon off extra water. This winter I didn't need to, and the rain filled it nicely. But remember: When I do that the water has no pipes to flow into where it can freeze.