Winter in Ohio can last about three and a half months. It starts in early December and lasts through mid-March. The average temperatures in winter can have a high of 46 degrees and get as low as 24 degrees. Needless to say, snow and ice is normal for an Ohio winter. For those with pools, ice can be a major problem. Especially, those with an in-ground vinyl pool. Ice can damage the vinyl liner of your pool. It is important for those with a vinyl liner pool to protect their pool liner. Metropolitan Pools will share how to protect your pool liner during intense freezes.
How Does Ice Damage a Vinyl Pool Liner?
When water freezes into ice, the water or ice expands. This expanding ice problem is usually corrected by slightly draining the pool, allowing the ice to expand upwards. However, during intense cold conditions or freezes, the ice may become too thick which can cause damage to the liner. The thicker the ice gets, the more expanding it will do to the sides of the vinyl liner. Only during intense freezes will you want to give all of your attention to your pool to prevent ice damages.
How Do I Protect My Vinyl Pool Liner from Damage?
There are two major ways to help prevent ice damage during an intense freeze.
Air Pillow – The first method is to use air pillows. For areas with intense and cold winters, there are pool air pillows that can be used to help break up the ice sheets. Ice pillows help to relieve outward pressure and prevent ice from forming underneath the pillows. Depending on the size of your pool, you may need to use more than one air pillow. You will want to go across the length of the pool, spacing the pillows about every two to three feet from each other. Additionally, when using air pillows, you will want the pool cover to be on top of them. Make sure the pool cover is secured tightly in place.
Pond Heater – Your second option to combat ice damage is with a pond heater. You can use one, two or as many pond heaters as needed to help prevent ice from every forming. A pond heater plugs right into an outlet making them really easy to use. You can pull out your pond heaters when intense cold has been forecasted and have them ready. They will keep the surface water warm enough to prevent ice from developing or reduce the amount of ice that forms in your pools.
Never Break Up Ice on Frozen Pool Liner
There are some ice management mistakes that are often made. One is breaking up the ice. Do not break up ice in a pool. As the temperatures drops, the broken ice will reform but not in a perfectly smooth sheet of ice. Instead you will now have shards of ice clustering together. You now have sharp edges pressing along the edge of your liner. It is a common misconception that you can aid in the melting of the ice. However, the nights are very cold in Ohio and the ice will only freeze up again. To prevent severe ice damage, never break up the ice.
Vinyl Pool Installation, Repair, Maintenance & More in Sandusky, Lorain, Elyria, Medina, Parma, Mentor, Akron & Greater Cleveland, Ohio
It is important to take the needed steps to protect your vinyl liner from ice damage. Be sure to keep an eye on the weather and prepare your pool for long periods of extreme cold. For pool services, contact Metropolitan Pools today.