Damage To Pool From Freezing - Swimming Pool Steve

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Damage To Pool From Freezing

SwimmingPoolSteve.com is user-supported. In order to keep this resource about pools and spas available for free to all readers I earn commissions for purchases made through links on this page. For more information see the full disclaimer page. By using this website you are agreeing to the terms and conditions. As a swimming pool industry professional who is located in Ontario Canada I definitely feel confident when I say I know a thing or two about the damage freezing water and ice can cause to swimming pools. In this area every winter includes extended periods of time in the -20C to -30C range (-22F) which means any weak links with your pool winterizing process is going to get exploited by the cold weather. With marginally cold weather, or short periods of cold you could hold out hope that you might avoid freeze damage simply through luck. In my area luck has nothing to do with it. Come the dead of winter everything will be frozen solid both above and below ground. It is important to understand that freezing weather and swimming pools simply do not go well together. The goal is to prevent your pool from experiencing damage or a failure of some kind, but all freezing weather is going to cause at least some kind of damage or advanced wear and tear. When the ground freezes it moves. This can cause shifting, lifting, crushing, sinking...all kinds of problems to permanent structures in the ground. Further to this freezing weather will also cause a number of cosmetic issues with your pool, your interior surface, the deck around your pool...freezing weather advances the rate of wear of every component of your swimming pool. Aside from the advanced wear ice forming is also known to cause these specific problems to pools so be sure to look for any of these signs of damage: ▶️ Leaking water - The number one concern you should have for your pool after experiencing freezing weather conditions is that you might have a broken or cracked pipe somewhere in your pool system...possibly multiple cracks or breaks. When water freezes it expands and the force generated by expanding ice is enough to split pipes, crack concrete, break pump, filter or heaters...pretty much any and every part of your pool can be broken by the force of water expanding as it freezes. While there is some protection below ground provided by the small amount of insulation the earth provides the colder the weather, and the longer the cold weather lasts, the greater the concern for freezing temps to reach deeper into the ground. Leaks in pool plumbing systems do not always manifest in a linear and straight forward way. Many times the leak symptoms will be intermittent, or change along with changing site conditions, and this makes diagnosis of leaking water in pipes to be a little difficult. After you have experienced freezing weather you should be specifically monitoring the rate of water loss in your pool. This is the single best and most reliable way to know whether your pool is losing water or not. Simply take a pencil and mark the water level on the face of the skimmer. Every 24 hours go out and mark the water level again being sure to note whether there were rains in the past 24 hours or not as this will obviously affect the water level in your pool. There are two things in particular you are looking for with your water level and that is to see if your pool loses water faster than the rate of evaporation, and whether the pool loses the same amount of water or a different amount over 24 hours where you have the pump running versus 24 hours where the pump is turned off. For more information about how to do these tests and how to interpret the results you can read this article about swimming pool leak detection. In the event that you believe you have cracked or broken pipes underground based on the symptoms and water level in your pool a pool professional would proceed with a pressure test of the system to see which pipes are able to hold steady pressure without dropping. For more information about this process you can read this article on pool pressure testing however you should be aware that pressure testing is dangerous and not a do-it-yourself level project. ▶️ Frozen pool pump - If you experienced freezing weather and your pool system was not closed and winterized then you might have experienced some damage to your pump. The first thing to know is that any crack in the pump, body or connection points, will cause the pump to not prime. Your pool pump creates a vacuum to draw water from the pool to the pump and even a small crack in the pipe or the pump itself would prevent this from working. Have you ever tried to drink out of a straw that had a hole somewhere above water level? No matter how hard you suck you still only get 90% air and at most 10% liquid. Your pool pump is the same way. It is important to inspect the pump body very closely for any signs of a crack as even the smallest crack means the pump is now inoperable. Further to this manifold cracks on a pool pump can not be repaired and any patch job with epoxy is very likely to continue to leak air. One thing you can do is try to keep the area under your pump dry if possible as this will make it easier for you to note if there is any water leaking or dampness under the pump that does not seem to go away. It is possible that you could have a crack in your pump manifold and not even notice or be able to see it, but the symptom would be that the pump will not prime. If the pump does end up priming because the crack is very small, you would notice the pump does not run or sound like it did before. Now the pump would be expected to run with a lot of air in the chamber (visible through the lid) and this would make the pump sound louder than it used to. It is worth mentioning that a cracked pump manifold, a cracked pump union, or a cracked pump suction pipe underground somewhere can all manifest with similar symptoms so it is not always easy to see if the pump is damaged or not. Another trick to try if the pump does run but not well enough, is that when you turn the pump off any defects or cracks in the pump will very likely spit a momentary jet of water out as the pressure in the system reverses. Let the pump run for a bit and then turn it off to see if you can see any moisture or water that has leaked out. Before you assume that your pump or pipes are leaking because you are having trouble priming your pump you should first review this article about troubleshooting steps for priming a pool pump to make sure something else is not preventing the pump from priming properly. If the pump does prime and run but then suddenly loses prime then you can read this article about why does my pump lose prime? ▶️ Frozen pool filter - All pool filter types are the same in that there is very little technology involved with them. In the simplest of terms a pool filter is a big garbage can filled with some kind of filter media that helps to remove unwanted debris from your pool. Silica sand, diatomaceous earth and paper cartridges are the three most common media options for pool filters. All three work the same in that pressurized water is applied on one end of the filter, which forces dirty water through the filter media, and then clean(er) water leaves the other side of the filter. When it comes to freeze damage there are a few different things that can break. Of course the filter tank can break (split) if the volume of water inside freezes and expands. If this happens it should be fairly obvious that the filter tank split, but not always. Sometimes the splits are small, or hidden from view around the drain port on the bottom of the filter. If you have a crack in this area then your pump would turn on and prime like normal, and you might not even notice a problem with noise or bubbles coming back to the pool through the returns, but eventually you will notice dampness or water leaking around the filter. If you notice water around the filter turn off the system (for safety) and then attempt to closely inspect the filter to see where the damage is originating. If you have a sand filter then the multiport valve is inclined to experience freeze damage and a common symptom of this might be water escaping through the backwash pipe even when the filter head is set to "filter" mode. This indicates a failure of the spoke gasket within the key assembly. Freezing temperatures are also very likely to damage the pressure gauge found in pool filters. These gauges should read zero when they are removed from the filter and any reading other than zero indicates the gauge is broken and should be replaced. It is very important that you never attempt to operate a pool filter that is cracked or compromised in any way as these are a pressure vessel and could be extremely dangerous if they were to suddenly fail. Even more so than a pool pump any crack in a pool filter is a permanent failure and should not be attempted to be repaired. Pool filters swell and contract with pressure from the pump and this dynamic movement combined with extreme force and pressure makes repairs not possible. ▶️ Frozen pool heater - It might sound counterintuitive that a heater can freeze however pool heaters definitely can freeze if the water flowing through them gets cold enough. Pool owners might know that running your heater when it is very cold outside is actually bad for the heater as this will generate a lot of condensation which is acidic and can prematurely corrode the internals of your heater over time. However if the weather is cold enough to freeze water then you have a more serious concern on your hands than the long term effects of acidic condensation. If you have a pool heater it would be a good idea to run it to keep the pool water a few degrees above zero to prevent more serious freeze damage from happening even though you might experience some acidic condensation from doing this. What happens if the heater is not running, or the pump called it quits during the freezing weather? The heater can break tomorrow so long term considerations are less of a concern. Also power outages can cause this problem of heaters icing over as the pool or pipes could freeze over while the power is out and then you can't get the pool system running again even after the power is back on. In this circumstance you can end up with water freezing inside your heater, expanding, and causing damage. The main symptom to help you notice freeze damage to your heater would simply be water leaking from the heater when you turn your system on. The most common places to develop leaks on your pool heater is inside the headers where water is trapped, and also the pressure switch that prevents the heater from turning on when there is low flow. The pressure switch is especially prone to freezing due to the very small copper tube that feeds water pressure to the unit. This tiny 1/4" tube will freeze readily and replacement of these pressure switches are quite expensive for how small of a part they are. If you know for sure your heater is going to freeze then it might be a good idea to attempt to quickly winterize it by closing the gas lines, opening the draincocks and pressure switch and blowing air through the heater. For more information about these steps you can read this article about how to winterize a pool heater. ▶️ Frozen pool deck - The lifting and heaving forces of freezing water and ice are nothing to scoff at. If you have standing water or pooling water anywhere that it is not supposed to be during freezing weather it is very likely that you will end up with heaving and cracking of your pool deck. Freeze and thaw conditions are even worse than this where warmer and cooler weather alternates back and forth such that water freezes and then thaws and then freezes again. This cycle of freezing water can cause massive damage including damage to things like your concrete pool deck which seems like it should be almost indestructable. Unfortunately it is not. Pool owners in colder northern climates know all too well that expansion joints and sealants intended to prevent water from accessing the back side of your pool walls are very important. Often times a simple urethane bead is all that stands between your pool being fine and your pool being essentially destroyed by freezing water. Not all pools and pool deck types require expansion gaps but if your pool is one that has them be sure to keep up with maintaining these protective beads to prevent water from getting behind the walls or under the pool deck where it can get trapped, freeze, expand and cause damage. Cracks in pool decks are another place where water may be able to get somewhere that you do not want it to be. If you have existing cracks in your pool deck you should consider seaming them together with a flexible urethane product. Patching with something more like concrete may not be ideal as the deck has shown to be migrating and urethane has the ability to flex and move somewhat with moving deck conditions. ▶️ Frozen pool skimmer - One of the worst areas of your swimming pool for experiencing freeze damage is the skimmer. The skimmer body is made from PVC and if water is trapped in the skimmer when it expands then this will almost certainly crack the skimmer body. For this reason skimmers are normally winterized and protected with a device called a Gizzmo which is essentially an empty pop botte. When the water in the skimmer freezes it crushes inwards on the Gizzmo instead of pushing outwards on the walls of the skimmer which can crack it. In the event you are suddenly surprised with freezing weather and you do not have a Gizzmo to use then using an actual pop bottle in your skimmer would help. Some people will fill the pop bottle half way with antifreeze which will help the bottle to remain neutrally buoyant in the water. You do not want it to float in the skimmer on top of the water level, you want it to be partially in and partially out of the water. Some people use a different technique and instead of using pop bottles half filled with antifreeze, they use multiple empty pop bottles all jammed into the skimmer so they simply can not float. Be sure the lids are on the bottles tightly so they do not leak any water into them. If you have foam noodles or pieces of pool noodles you can also stuff these into the skimmer mouth and skimmer body to try to protect the skimmer. In Ontario where it gets extremely cold we also often use foam rope and feed pieces of foam into the plumbing pipes as another layer of protection. Skimmers are very unforgiving to cold weather and freezing and repairs or replacement of pool skimmers is a fairly expensive and involved process. If your skimmer froze during unexpected cold weather then you should spend some time inspecting the skimmer body for signs that it has cracked. These cracks can be hard to see so you need to really get down on your hands and knees and inspect it closely. Use your fingers to help feel for imperfections in the plastic that might indicate a crack. To learn about skimmer repairs you can read this article about how to replace a pool skimmer or you can also watch this video tutorial series about winterizing pool skimmers. ▶️

If and when the surface of your pool freezes over this is not a cause for concern. Pools in northern climates freeze over every year and this is not a problem other than the incremental wear and tear that freeze and thaw cycles bring. Some people think they need to go and break the ice on the surface of the pool. This is not true, unneeded and even can be damaging to the pool. As you break and move the ice on the surface this can cause damage to tiles, plaster, vinyl and even gel coats on fiberglass pools. You are better off to leave the ice to form on the surface than to attempt to manually break it up. If you have an above ground pool these can be more susceptible to damage from freezing over than inground pools however even these should be fine. As an added layer of protection for above ground pools it might be a good idea to add a few jugs into the pool that are partially filled with antifreeze and have lids. This will give the ice something to crush instead of blowing out the walls of your pool. For most pools that operate year round there is little risk for freezing damage however these events do happen as evidenced in Texas in February of 2021. Complicating matters further power outages have been defeating the traditional method used to deal with rare and periodic freezing weather which is to simply leave your pump running. Moving water does not freeze as easily as stagnant water however there are limitations to how much cold and how well this works. If your pool ended up freezing despite your best efforts then hopefully the tips on this page will help you to locate and solve any potential freeze damage your pool has sustained. Top content from www.SwimmingPoolSteve.com Pool and spa chemistry crash course New pool owner guide The Swimming Pool Steve blog Have a question - ask Steve Swimming Pool Steve is an award winning, second generation swimming pool and spa specialist from Ontario Canada. With over 10,000,000 views on the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube Channel, winner of the 2018 Pool & Spa Industry Leadership award and author of hundreds of pool and spa articles both online and in print Steve is committed to helping pool and spa owners as well as pool and spa industry workers learn more about the technical side of building, renovating, repairing and maintaining all types of swimming pools and spas. Follow Swimming Pool Steve on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Paid PDF Books From Swimming Pool Steve Steve's Pool Survival Guide

The Swimming Pool Steve Pool Survival Guide is intended to help pool owners understand their pool and pool equipment better, understand water chemistry, water testing and chemical corrections to the water, troubleshoot the most common pool problems and have confidence in interacting and caring for their pool in the fastest possible frame of time. Also covers pool safety, things to avoid and how to operate your pool more efficiently. New Pool Installation Value Guide

This is a value shopping guide written by Swimming Pool Steve to help home owners hiring for a new pool installation to get the maximum value for their investment with tips about how to protect your interests during the vetting, hiring and pool installation process. Anyone serious about having a pool installed will find value in this guide. Pool installers will sell the pool package that is best for them - not for you! Become an informed value shopper with this PDF guide. Endorsed Brands From Swimming Pool Steve The following links and products are to affiliates of the Swimming Pool Steve website. These are brands, products and services hand selected by Steve for endorsement. Please note that these endorsements can include monetary compensation, affiliate links and referral fees to Swimming Pool Steve, however there is zero additional cost to you should you use one of these products or services. Income generated from these links helps to keep this pool and spa resource available for everyone. To have your product or service considered for listing here as an endorsed brand email [email protected]. Swimming Pool Steve is an award winning, second generation swimming pool specialist from Ontario Canada and one of the most trusted voices in the swimming pool industry. With over 20,000,000 views on the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube Channel, winner of the Pleatco Pool & Spa Industry Leadership award and author of hundreds of pool and spa articles both online and in print. Steve is committed to helping pool and spa owners as well as pool and spa industry workers learn more about the technical side of building, renovating, repairing and maintaining all types of swimming pools and spas. Follow Swimming Pool Steve on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Endorsed Brands From Swimming Pool Steve The following links and products are to affiliates of the Swimming Pool Steve website. These are brands, products and services hand selected by Steve for endorsement. Please note that these endorsements can include monetary compensation, affiliate links and referral fees to Swimming Pool Steve, however there is zero additional cost to you should you use one of these products or services. Income generated from these links helps to keep this pool and spa resource available for everyone. To have your product or service considered for listing here as an endorsed brand email [email protected]. Amazon Disclosure Statement - As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. www.PoolPartsToGo.com New Black + Decker variable speed pumps are available online from www.PoolPartsToGo.com and they are a drop in replacement for many popular pump models including Pentair Superflo and Hayward Super Pumps. With an adjustable platform base, union connections included and a very strong warranty these pumps offer an impressive value to pool owners. - Swimming Pool Steve

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