How to Melt an Above-Ground Pool That Is Frozen

Above-ground swimming pools are a nice addition to your backyard, since they give you a place to exercise without having to commit to an in-ground pool. In colder climates, however, an above-ground pool needs to be drained and put away once the weather begins to cool. If the pool is left out, the water in it may freeze once temperatures drop. A frozen above-ground pool can be left alone until the weather warms and it thaws on its own, or you can thaw it out manually.

Solar pool cover
Baseball bat
Cardboard or wooden boxes
Space heaters
Extension cords
Blankets

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the existing pool cover. Replace with a solar pool cover. Spread the solar cover over the entire frozen surface of the pool. The solar pool cover heats up the water temperature by as much as 15 degrees Fahrenheit, and it will begin to thaw the ice as long as the outside temperature stays above 25 degrees .
- 2
  Break up thin surface ice by hitting the top layer of ice with a baseball bat. Remove the chunks of ice by hand and lay them on the ground.
- 3
  Place cardboard or wooden boxes on the ground two feet away from the pool, every three feet around its diameter. Put a space heater on top of each box. Attach each space heater to an extension cord and plug the cord into the outdoor electrical socket on the side of the house. Lay blankets under each extension cord if the ground is damp. Turn the heaters on high and let them run for several hours until the ice begins to thaw.

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