Should I lower the water below the skimmer before putting the cover on
- Thread starter syedsam
- Start date
Alma Weber
New member
In my opinion, both ways can work, but lowering it a few inches always gives me more peace of mind. Simple and never caused me trouble.
Michael Williams
New member
What Manikshaw said makes sense if you get real freezes, dropping the water a few inches below the skimmer adds safety against ice expansion at the skimmer throat, especially if the skimmer line is blown out and plugged properly. If your winters are mild, Alma’s point holds too, either approach can work, the big thing is not leaving water trapped in the skimmer or its line where it can freeze and crack things.
Henry Graham
Member
I usually lower mine just below the skimmer before putting the cover on, mostly as a simple safety step for freezing. If water sits right in the skimmer throat and freezes solid, the expanding ice can put pressure on that plastic housing. Dropping the level a few inches avoids that risk and gives the ice some room to expand without pushing directly into the skimmer.
The bigger piece for me has always been making sure the skimmer line itself is cleared. I blow the line until it’s just air and then plug it so no water can creep back in. Once that line is dry, the chance of freeze damage drops a lot. The water level mainly protects the skimmer body itself.
I also try not to drain too far. One year I lowered it more than necessary and by spring the level had dropped even further from evaporation and winter splash-out. That left the liner a bit exposed and made opening more annoying than it needed to be.
So my routine now is simple: water a few inches below the skimmer, line blown out and plugged, and the cover goes on while the water is still clear and balanced. That setup has handled several winters without any cracked skimmers. Anyone here actually use a gizmo instead of lowering the water level? I’ve always wondered how well those hold up through a full freeze cycle.
The bigger piece for me has always been making sure the skimmer line itself is cleared. I blow the line until it’s just air and then plug it so no water can creep back in. Once that line is dry, the chance of freeze damage drops a lot. The water level mainly protects the skimmer body itself.
I also try not to drain too far. One year I lowered it more than necessary and by spring the level had dropped even further from evaporation and winter splash-out. That left the liner a bit exposed and made opening more annoying than it needed to be.
So my routine now is simple: water a few inches below the skimmer, line blown out and plugged, and the cover goes on while the water is still clear and balanced. That setup has handled several winters without any cracked skimmers. Anyone here actually use a gizmo instead of lowering the water level? I’ve always wondered how well those hold up through a full freeze cycle.
Katherine Morgan
Member
I used to think lowering the water was just one of those “everyone says to do it” things, but after a few winters it started to make more sense why people recommend it. When the water sits right at the skimmer opening and you get a solid freeze, the ice can lock right into that throat area. As it expands it can press against the skimmer body, which is where people sometimes see cracks show up in spring.
What I do now is drop the water just a few inches below the skimmer before putting the cover on. Nothing extreme, just enough so the opening isn’t sitting inside the ice line once the surface freezes. Then I blow the skimmer line until it’s pushing mostly air and seal it so water can’t creep back in over winter. If the line is dry, that removes most of the real freeze risk.
One other thing I started paying attention to is the water level changes over winter. Rain, snow melt, and evaporation can move it around more than you’d think. The year I left it too low, by spring it had dropped even further and the skimmer area was almost exposed. Since then I keep it only slightly below the opening and let the cover handle the rest.
Curious how many people here rely on a gizmo instead of lowering the level. I’ve always wondered how those hold up once the surface freezes solid for a while.
What I do now is drop the water just a few inches below the skimmer before putting the cover on. Nothing extreme, just enough so the opening isn’t sitting inside the ice line once the surface freezes. Then I blow the skimmer line until it’s pushing mostly air and seal it so water can’t creep back in over winter. If the line is dry, that removes most of the real freeze risk.
One other thing I started paying attention to is the water level changes over winter. Rain, snow melt, and evaporation can move it around more than you’d think. The year I left it too low, by spring it had dropped even further and the skimmer area was almost exposed. Since then I keep it only slightly below the opening and let the cover handle the rest.
Curious how many people here rely on a gizmo instead of lowering the level. I’ve always wondered how those hold up once the surface freezes solid for a while.