Before the season starts
Know whether your system has freeze protection built in. Most automation panels and many timers have a freeze mode that overrides the schedule and runs the pump when air temperature drops below a set point. If yours has it, it should be enabled and tested before the first cold front, not during one.
If your system runs on a mechanical timer with no freeze sensor, you're the freeze protection. That means manually running the pump when a hard freeze is forecast.
It's also worth knowing where your equipment drain plugs are and whether the pump lid seals properly. A pump that can't hold prime is the one most likely to be damaged.
When a hard freeze is forecast
Most freeze protection kicks the pump on somewhere around 37 to 40 degrees, depending on how the panel or timer is set. On a typical cold night here, that means the system handles itself and there's nothing for you to do.
Run the pump continuously through the freeze. Moving water is far harder to freeze than still water, and most burst pipes and cracked pump housings happen in systems that shut off overnight.
Run any water features, spillovers, and spa lines too, or the water sitting in those pipes freezes even while the main circulation keeps moving.
Leave the cleaner in and don't worry about a little debris. A dirty pool is a cheaper problem than a cracked pump.
If the power goes out
This is the scenario that does real damage, because the pump can't run. Freeze protection is useless without power, so a long outage during a hard freeze is the one situation worth acting on.
If the outage is expected to last through a hard freeze, the safest move is to drain the pump, filter, and heater at their drain plugs so there's no water left in them to expand. Learn where those plugs are on a mild afternoon, not by flashlight — and if you have a heater or a spa spillover, ask about those specifically, since they hold water in places the main plumbing doesn't.
That's a call to make based on how long the outage looks and how cold it's getting. If you're a client and you're unsure, that's exactly the kind of question the support plans exist for.
After the freeze
Look and listen before you trust the system. Check for water on the equipment pad, cracks in the pump housing or filter body, and any drip at the unions. Listen for a pump that's running loud, running dry, or losing prime.
Check the water level too. Freezing weather often comes with days of nobody looking at the pool, and a skimmer running dry will pull air into the pump.
If anything looks wrong, shut the system down and get it looked at before running it. A cracked housing that keeps running turns a part into a bigger repair.
