If you live in the Mooresville, NC area and have a pool, you may have wondered if it is possible to keep using pools during the winter. The answer is that it depends on whether you are willing to deal with the added expense of doing so. Even though our winters are sometimes mild, there are situations in which freezing temperatures could cause quite a bit of trouble if you haven’t got a plan in place. While there are risks, if you believe the rewards are worth it, by all means, keep your pool open year round!
The first thing you will need to consider is that pools cannot stay open in the winter unless you can make sure the water in the system never gets the opportunity to freeze. This means your system must run 24/7 instead of the shorter period of time needed during the warmer months. This is going to add to your utility bill considerably. Also keep in mind that you will need to manage pool chemicals differently. For example, if you have a salt system, it will not operate during the winter, so you will need to chlorinate another way.
If you want the water to be warm enough to actually swim in, the only way to accomplish this is with a gas pool heater. A solar or electric unit will not be able to keep up once temperatures dip and sunlight dwindles. You can use either a propane or natural gas pool heater, depending on availability.
The last thing to think about is having a backup for power. Your pool equipment needs to run continually, so a power outage that is long enough to let the water in the system freeze is going to be a real problem. Your best bet is to have a backup generator. You should also consider having a secondary pump on hand in case the pump goes out at some point. You won’t have time to wait to get another one.
If you would like more information about pools, give us a call at Lake Norman Signature Pools & Patios. We design new pools as well as remodel them, and we would be glad to give you advice about maintaining your new pool!