Main drain Blow out

[mattsmomma]

This is my first time to winterize I have read a lot and watched some u tube videos and thought I had it all figured out. I am trying to use a rainbow vac, it is kind of like a shop vac, to blow out my lines. From the pump I inserted the hose to the pipes I wanted to blow out. This method has worked just fine for the return lines and the skimmer but nothing is coming out of the main drain. I was searching to borrow a air compressor or a shop vac and was offered a gas leaf blower, I see that this works for some people. Well I fully intend on trying it before investing in something else. I am thinking duck tape and a pool vac hose, not sure if this is going to work (kind of doubtful).
Before I do I was wonder if anyone has any advice on how to rig it up to blow out the main drain.

 

[waste]

Welcome to TFP!!

Put the leaf blower right up to the pipe and duct tape the 'bejesus' out of it and turn that puppy on

Do you have a valve on the MD pipe that you can close once it starts bubbling?

[afterthought ] You may be fine with the vac you've been using tie a string to your pool brush and lay it across the MD. If you see it moving when you blow air into the line, water IS being evacuated from the line. Then you've got to 'guestimate' whether enough water was forced out to make the water level in the pipe below the frost line in your area.

I'm sure someone else here has a better way but thought I'd proffer my $.02 :-D

Please keep us posted as to your progress.

 

[mattsmomma]

Thanks for your $.02.
This is what I did.
Started up the leaf blower and I'm pretty sure my vac had more pressure.
When I stop blowing with the vac I hear the water gurgling back up the pipes. So it has to be pushing some out of the main drain. We put some pool antifreeze in the line and just blew it for a while and closed the valve. I think it will be ok, crossing my fingers.

 

[Johnl]

Here's a response I provided to another person that had difficulty blowing out their main drain. Good luck.

My shop vac wasn't powerful enough to blow out the main drain either, so I use a pool plug with a blow through and a small air compressor to blow out the line.

I close off the skimmers and only have the main floor drain open. I hook up the air compressor to the plug and pump air into the pipe. Air starts to come out of the main drain fairly quickly. As the air is coming out I close the valve to the main drain, trapping the air in the line and keeping the water below the freeze line.

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