Ok, I have to admit.  I kinda freaked out about my pool equipment and plumbing freezing the first time we got down into the 20’s after the pool was installed.  Let me explain.  Once I knew that is was going to freeze I started looking around at the best way to protect all of the pool stuff from freezing.  I started asking myself…  Do I need to protect my pool equipment and pipes during a freeze?, Should I keep my pool running continuously during freezing conditions to protect it?, What is the best way to protect your pool and equipment during a freeze?  After considering my options I decided to leave my pool running all night.

About 9pm I went into the ScreenLogic by Pentair app on my phone and turn the system on in Pool Mode.  This would typically leave the pool running until the next scheduled stop.  I could tell that the system was on because the water features were running.  About 10pm I looked out and…  no water features.  Just a fluke, I hoped and turned the system back on in pool mode.  I went to bed but set an alarm for 1am just to check…  no water features, again.  I turned the system back on in pool mode.  The next morning when I woke up I was very happy to see it running.  Now I am asking myself, why does my pool pump keep turning off?, what causes my pool to turn off by itself?  I did not find anything other that the pump motor overheating which I knew was not the cause of my issues.

As it was going to freeze again the next night, I went out and bought blankets to cover all of the pool plumbing and equipment from the freezing temperatures.  In the afternoon I wrapped everything up and felt better about the impending freeze.  The pool turned off at 6pm which is its scheduled off time.  At about 9pm I noticed that the water features were running but, as I was watching, they turned off.  I walked outside and then noticed that the spa was running.  It is hard to tell when the spa is running if the bubbler is not on because there are no water features associated with spa mode.  A while later I noticed the water features were on…  what is going on???  When all else fails, pull out the owner’s manual.

After reading the owner’s manual I learned that the Pentair EasyTouch System has a freeze protection built in.  Once set up properly, which the pool builder must have done, the system automatically comes on anytime the air temperature drops below 36 degrees.  You can set up which ever modes you choose to be part of the freeze mode.  In my case, I have a pool mode and a spa mode on the freeze protection.  This means that the pool and spa alternate, each for 20 minutes, back and forth to protect all pumps, filters, and plumbing from freezing.  What a great idea and it turns out that the pool was smarter than me!!!

If you are considering new pool equipment, I would highly recommend the Pentair EasyTouch Swimming Pool System.  I love that you can control all aspects of your phone via the app from anywhere.  CLICK HERE to read about this system.  Ours controls our pool, spa, bubbler, solar heater, gas heater, and all the associated valves.  Works flawlessly and is super easy to operate.