Help! How do I winterize the drain?!

[matt151617]

I need help closing the drain on my ABG. It comes out at the bottom of the side of the pool and runs into the pump. At the pump there's a shut-off; there's no shut off where it comes out of the pool. There's a drain guard over it in the pool also. Entering the pool to do anything underwater is pretty much impossible, since the water is about 50 degrees right now.

The previous owners drained the pool halfway, then took the long pipe going to the pump from the drain and propped it up. Hooking it up was extremely difficult since the water flowed out once the pipe became horizontal.

What can I do? If I plug it I'm afraid the pipe will break with all the water frozen in it. There's no way to force antifreeze into the pipe since the force of the water pushes out once the line is open.

 

[X-PertPool]

Remove the pipe off the fitting coming out from the pool wall and insert a rubber compression plug. make sure the plug fits snugly and tighten it with your fingers as hard as you can. Weird setup though

 

[matt151617]

Thanks, I'll try that. One heck of a lot of water is going to come flying out... 13,000 gallons of water weighs 108,420 pounds.

I'll install a shut-off right where it comes out of the pool for next time...

 

[Bama Rambler]

Is it the pipe coming straight in to the pump or the one coming into the side?
Are both of those white fittings valves?

If they're both valves I'd shut iff the one not going to the bottom drain and blow it out with air and shut off the valve. You could even blow antifreeze into the line with a little rigging.

 

[X-PertPool]

Is it the pipe coming straight in to the pump or the one coming into the side?
Are both of those white fittings valves?

If they're both valves I'd shut iff the one not going to the bottom drain and blow it out with air and shut off the valve. You could even blow antifreeze into the line with a little rigging.

Yeah, I was thinking just blow it out like a main-drain too. But I wasn't sure how much air could be trapped in the pipe with the way it is plumbed near horizontal.

With the way it's plumbed up it's not very user friendly

 

[matt151617]

The pipe going straight in is from the skimmer, the one on the side is from the drain. There is 2 valves, one for each.

I don't really get what you mean. If I shut off the valve to the drain I'd just be blowing air out of the skimmer. Blowing any air into the drain will immediately be negated the second I shut off the blower and the water pressure fills the pipe.

The only options I see is either pulling the pipe off at the side of the pool and sticking a plug in quick (and probably getting wet) or do nothing and hope it doesn't break when it freezes. If it does it'll be easy to replace for a few dollars worth of PVC.

Is there any way to maneuver a plug in the hole from the inside of the pool without getting in the water?

 

[BadOleRoss]

Someone talked about removing the pipe and inserting a plug. If you place a plastic trash bag or something similar over the drain on the inside of the pool....when you remove the pipe the bag will be sucked into the drain slowing the water. That might give you time to plug the hole. Another option is to build a box around that pipe and insulate it to prevent it from freezing. If you go this route, pick up some pipe wrap and those plug in heaters you can get for pipe to help keep it warm.

 

[Bama Rambler]

I was saying that you should shut the valve off going to the skimmer and blow from the pump basket back to the drain. While the air is still blowing you shut the valve off to the drain effectively air locking the drain. You could also use the same method to blow antifreeze through the drain and shut the valve off when you see pink in the pool at the drain.

 

[matt151617]

There is no shut off at the drain. The first shut off is at the pump.

I like the heat tape idea but I'm wondering how much electricity it would take. I may just go for the plastic bag. Although I'm afraid the force of that much frozen water could push the plug out which would be disastrous... I'd ruin the liner, the winter cover, and loose all the water.

Of course there's always the option of putting on a 7mm wetsuit, jumping in, busting the cover loose, and plugging it.

 

[X-PertPool]

I wonder what would happen if you didn't do anything. Keep in mind when the pool freezes it doesn't freeze solid. So there will be unfrozen water near that drain on the inside of the pool. The water in the pipe will freeze but it should expand towards the pool. It's difficult to say for sure, I like the trash bag + plug idea.

 

[matt151617]

I ended up buying a 12ft outdoor heat tape for $25. The pool's power outlet is on a timer so I'll regulate how long a day the heat is turned on. The electricity used is minimal and far less than what the pump uses in a few hours.

The previous owners did do nothing, but half the pipe was empty, leaving room for the ice to expand. Unfortunately the cost of doing it this way was draining almost half of the water from the pool.