How to Get Your Pool Ready for a Hard Freeze in North Texas

Freezes can come any time from late fall into early spring, so be ready before the first one. The National Weather Service in Fort Worth lists the average first freeze at DFW as November 22 and the average last freeze as March 12, but freezes have come earlier and later.

Hard freezes here are usually short, but not always. In February 2021, DFW Airport stayed at or below freezing for 139 hours in a row, according to the National Weather Service. Long freezes and power outages together are what crack pool equipment.

No. Most pools in Dallas–Fort Worth stay open year-round, because the risk here is short hard freezes, not months of ice. Instead of closing the pool, keep the water moving whenever it's freezing.

Our pool opening and closing guide says the same thing: in freezing weather, keep your pump running or make sure your equipment's freeze protection is on.

Yes. Moving water is much harder to freeze, so keep the filter pump running the whole time temperatures are at or below freezing, day and night. Don't let a timer shut it off overnight.

Hayward's cold-weather guide says to run all pumps while it's below freezing and, if you have power, to keep the equipment running around the clock until temperatures rise above freezing. Before the freeze:

• Check the water level so the pump doesn't pull air and lose its prime.
• Clean the pump basket and filter so water keeps flowing well.
• Open the valves so water also moves through the in-ground spa, water features and any other lines that can freeze.

If the pump won't start, hums or won't prime before a freeze, see pool pump repair.

Freeze protection is a setting on pool automation that turns the pump on when an outdoor air sensor reads cold. It only protects the equipment assigned to it, and it can't run anything without power.

Pentair says freeze protection on an automation system keeps the equipment running until normal temperatures return. Hayward notes that a controller should take over and turn on the pumps by itself, and that without one you have to run them yourself. To check yours:

• Look in the automation menu for freeze protection and make sure it is turned on.
• Make sure the spa, water features and any extra pumps are included, not just the filter pump.
• Check that the outdoor air temperature on the panel looks right.

Your equipment's owner's manual explains its own settings.

Common causes are a failed or misplaced air sensor, a pump or circuit that isn't assigned to freeze protection, a timer or schedule overriding it, or a tripped breaker. If the pump isn't running on a freezing night, turn it on by hand and call 817-339-6770.

Sensors, timers and automation panels are repairs, not resets. See automation repair.

Turn off the breakers to the pool equipment, then drain the water that could freeze inside it. Don't turn anything back on while there is still ice in it.

Hayward's steps for a freeze with no power:

• Turn off all pool equipment breakers, even though the power is already out.
• Open the air relief on the filter and wait until air stops hissing and the pressure gauge reads zero, then remove the drain plug at the bottom of the filter.
• Drain the inline chlorinator, if you have one.
• Drain the salt cell.
• Remove the check valve lids so they don't crack.
• Turn off the auto-fill and make sure its feed line is wrapped.

Keep the plugs and lids together. Your pump and heater owner's manuals show their own drain plugs. Don't touch the heater's gas valve or gas line, and don't open the electrical panel beyond flipping the equipment breakers. Never use an open flame or a space heater on pool equipment; Texas A&M AgriLife warns that open-flame devices are a serious fire hazard. When the ice has melted on its own, put everything back, turn the breakers on and prime the pump.

Keep water moving first, then insulate. Pipe insulation on exposed pipes helps, but it doesn't replace running water through them.

Texas A&M AgriLife lists swimming pool supply lines among the pipes most likely to freeze. Wrap exposed above-ground pipes and the auto-fill feed line with pipe insulation, and keep the heater's vents clear.

Keep water moving through all of them with the pump. You don't need to fire the heater for freeze protection, but water still has to flow through it. In-ground spas and water features need water moving too, or draining down if the power is out.

If a gas heater won't fire after the freeze, see pool heater repair. We repair and replace gas and propane pool heaters. Gas line work, including new runs and changes to existing lines, is done by our licensed gas contractor, with permits where required.

Once it's above freezing and the ice is gone, look for cracks, drips and puddles at the equipment pad, then restart the pump and watch for leaks and weak returns. Texas A&M AgriLife notes that a frozen pipe may already be broken and only leak once it thaws.

If anything is cracked or leaking, leave that equipment off and call 817-339-6770.

Call if the pump won't run or prime, freeze protection won't turn on, there's ice in the equipment, or anything drips or cracks after the thaw.

We service and repair all pool equipment brands, including Jandy, Pentair, and Hayward. We are an Authorized Jandy ProEdge Warranty Station and can also help with Pentair and Hayward warranty claims. We repair in-ground pools and in-ground spas. We do not repair portable hot tubs.

Freeze protection not working, or something cracked after the freeze? Call 817-339-6770, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Saturday closed. Sunday closed. We repair pool equipment in Fort Worth, Frisco, Lewisville, and most of the DFW Metroplex, often same day or next day when parts and schedule allow. After we diagnose it, we send you an estimate and call to walk you through it. Our standard rates are on the pool repairs page.