I have been reading tons on these forums but still have a question relating to the actual blowing out of lines etc. I am sure every situation is different but still haven't seen the issue addressed at all. My question...

Where do you actually hook a shop vac (blowing)? I am a newbie but from what i can gather, I have one skimmer line and one drain line feeding my pump. I also of course have one return line going to two returns and a pool slide that has it's own valve. There is no heater or anything else.

1.So where would the shop vac get physically attached? Do I have to unscrew fittings and hook directly to the PVC?

2. Does the pump/motor get left outside all winter?

3. Does the DE filter get left outside all winter?

4. Also i have only located four plugs. 3 larger and one smaller. I assume the three larger go into:

1. skimmer 2. return #1 3. return #2. The small one is possibly for the slide or something like that?

I have unions on all of my lines and I put the blower nozzle into the exposed pipes. I wrapped a couple of turns of duck tape around the nozzle where it meets the inside of the pipe, which seals the joint and helps hold it in place so I can work the return plugs while it's blowing.

I use a gizzmo in my skimmer to help absorb ice pressure, but you can use a plug there. I'd assume the skimmer would be plugged with a standard PVC pipe plug instead of a winterizing plug like this which is the standard type used for returns with Hayward type fittings.

You can leave the pump and filter outside if you like or bring them in. If your pump is hard wired or your plumbing doesn't have unions, it may be hard to move them. You could just cover them in place. You'll have plugs to remove from the pump and filter to drain the water from them.