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An Effective Skimmer Plate Guard Will Protect Your Pool During The Winter
It's essential to protect your above ground swimming pool during the winter. We have discussed this before in several Winter Care blogs (read Winter Pool Care here or Winter Pool Care 2 here) along with our Pool School Videos on Family Leisure's YouTube Channel (view the How To Close a Swimming Pool videos here).
In the above referenced blogs and videos we briefly touched upon the need to protect your skimmer during the winter. Why do you need to protect your skimmer? Water can seep into the skimmer system, and when the temperature drops, this water freezes and turns into ice, expanding inside the skimmer while it does so. This constant infiltration of water, freezing and expansion will occur over and over again during each winter, causing cracks in your skimmer. Thus, it's essential to protect your skimmer over the winter by preventing water and moisture in general from entering the skimmer - it's a necessary step in winterizing your swimming pool.
How can you protect your skimmer during the winter? You will want a complete "Skimmer Closure System", one that completely and effectively seals off the skimmer from the outside. Currently Family Leisure offers two "Skimmer Closure Systems", and the one that you choose depends on the skimmer you have in your swimming pool. Let's review the two types of "Skimmer Closure Systems" or Skimmer Ice Guard Plates, as they are also called.
#1: The Standard Pool Skimmer Ice Guard Plate
Like the name suggests, this skimmer ice guard plate (pictured above right as an example; view the Standard Pool Skimmer Ice Guard Plate here) is to be used on any standard-sized skimmer. As you can see from the picture, this skimmer plate is made with stainless steel. But what you cannot see is the foam underside, made from a special waterproof material that keeps out water and moisture.
This skimmer plate is 8" x 8.25", and the installation is designed to be easy and simple. There are six screw holes in the plate, but you only will need to use the ones that match your skimmer's screw holes. The instructions for installation are:
- Remove only the screws from the skimmer that match the holes on the winter plate.
- Place and secure the gasket (white foam) and the winter plate over the skimmer face plate with the winter plate screws (included). DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN THE SCREWS!
- Detach, remove and store away all hoses and internal skimmer components such as the weir, basket, etc.
- Apply a piece of duct tape (not included) to cover the hole in the top of the skimmer cover.
#2: The Widemouth Pool Skimmer Ice Guard Plate
The second "Skimmer Closure System" or Skimmer Ice Guard Plate available at Family Leisure is the Widemouth Pool Skimmer Ice Guard Plate (pictured right; view the Widemouth Skimmer Ice Guard Plate here). Just like the Standard Plate above, the name implies that this skimmer ice guard plate is designed to be used with widemouth skimmers only. But the differences between the two only start there. They both use different methods for closure, along with different materials.
First, the Widemouth Pool Skimmer Ice Guard Plate is even easier than the Standard model regarding installation. The widemouth plate actually acts like a plug, with patented high-density foam that expands when placed into your skimmer. It simply pops into your skimmer, with very little elbow grease and no screws or power drills.
Second, the materials are different with the widemouth model. Not only does it utilize special high-density foam, but the outer plate itself is made from strong ABS plastic, abandoning the stainless steel used in the standard model. This plate has been lab tested, will keep out water from the skimmer and resists UV damage from the sun.
The Widemouth Skimmer Ice Guard Plate is designed to fit skimmers with certain openings; the outside of the plate is 12" x 6". The Widemouth Skimmer Ice Guard Plate will work with the following widemouth skimmers:
Measure Your Widemouth Skimmer Opening:
- Minimum Height: 5 - 3/16"
- Maximum Height: 5 - 3/16"
- Minimum Width: 11 - 3/16"
- Maximum Width: 11 - 3/16"
- Works With Hydrotools Widemouth Skimmer # 8939 (Swimline)
QUICK NOTE! The EZ Drain Winter Cover requires a Winter Ice Guard Plate to work properly (view the EZ Drain Winter Cover here). If you purchase an EZ Drain System from Family Leisure, a Standard Ice Guard Plate is included with your purchase (this could change going into 2013). If you own an above ground swimming pool with a widemouth skimmer and wish to use the EZ Drain Winter Cover system, you will have to purchase the Widemouth Ice Guard Skimmer Plate for your swimming pool.
Family Leisure offers free pool care advice, pool school videos and pool school workshops. Visit any of our locations or our website for the best deals on pool supplies (view Family Leisure Pool Supplies here). All pool supplies come with free nationwide shipping and free advice from experts that have been in business since 1967.