"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
...
Our pool has a design flaw (or maybe not, I've never paid much attention
to how other pools are done)..

Where the main drain line exits the ground and goes into the pump area,
there is a 4' or 6' length of PVC pipe that is exposed, and can't be
drained without draining the entire pool. The question is: How to freeze
protect this piece of pipe? Thermostat regulated heat tape and some wrap
on insulation? Build a box around it with a lightbulb inside? Maybe one
of those 1,000 watt ceramic heaters with a thermostat?

I'm in Atlanta, and our winters usually have a few days (or nights) of
sub-20 weather, with a rare plunge below 10, and the very rare plunge
below 0.

If the pump is running it won't freeze-up until maybe sub-10. I had almost
the entire surface frozen, except near the skimmer, at 10-12F and the water
still flowed freely. The geothermal heating of the pool water running
underground probably helps out as well.