How To Prevent Major Damage To Your Backyard Swimming Pool During Frigid Temps

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Freezing temperatures can spell trouble for pool owners.

Last year's winter storm caused catastrophic damage to North Texas pools.

"It was the worst thing I've seen definitely in 25 years," said pool technician Chris McIntyre of Clearly #1 Pools.

He said the power outages triggered the widespread damage last year to local pools.

And it can happen quickly.

"Last year when the power went out, it was 15 minutes it was starting to freeze up the equipment."

On Tuesday, Feb. 1, McIntyre showed pool owners how to prevent those problems.

He said, when the temperature is below freezing, keep water circulating. If you lose power, all you need is a pair of pliers.

"Find the drain plugs on all your equipment and drain them down. Just go ahead and open them up and wait a couple of days after the freeze to put them back in and reprime.

Pool supply stores were also busy Tuesday, fielding phone calls for advice and selling equipment like freeze protectors in advance of the storm.

"I think a lot of people are really nervous about the freeze coming up, which is completely understandable," said Ash Ross, a manager at 1 Stop Pool & Spa Store. "We've been having a lot of calls about freeze protection, freeze guards, thermostats, things like that."

The key is - homeowners can protect their pools from Mother Nature and save thousands of dollars in potential repairs.

"There should be no reason to do anything major or to have to call somebody out," Ross said.