First attempt at pool closing

[privacyhound]

I just need some clarification. I am attempting to close my pool on my own this year...tough economic times. I live in Canada and in a city where winter is - 30 to -40 degrees celcius for 5 months of the year. I don't understand "blowing out my lines". I have one line that goes from my pump to my pool and another that goes from my heater to mu pool. My skimmer has two "holes" one is main drain the other is ???. Can someone give me a step by step for doing this correct, icluding antifreeze, gimos???, etc. I apologise if this has been asked but I just don't get it, which lines are for what and how to blow. I have a 2.5shop vac but can rent anything from homedepot. Thanks again.

from the land of the ice and snow

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

I just need some clarification. I am attempting to close my pool on my own this year...tough economic times. I live in Canada and in a city where winter is - 30 to -40 degrees celcius for 5 months of the year.

First have you read these:
pool-school/closing_in_ground_pool
pool-school/winterizing%20and%20closing%20your%20above%20group%20pool

I don't understand "blowing out my lines". I have one line that goes from my pump to my pool and another that goes from my heater to mu pool. My skimmer has two "holes" one is main drain the other is ???. Can someone give me a step by step for doing this correct, icluding antifreeze, gimos???, etc. I apologise if this has been asked but I just don't get it, which lines are for what and how to blow. I have a 2.5shop vac but can rent anything from homedepot. Thanks again.

I'm brand new to pools this year so I don't know the details either but I can tell you that you have to have 1 or more lines from the pool to the pump, a line from the pump to the filter, and then to heater, and then back to the pool I assume.

The line from the pool includes both main drain and skimmer - the reason you have two holes in the skimmer is likey that one goes to the pump and the other to the main drain.


First have you read these:
pool-school/closing_in_ground_pool
pool-school/winterizing%20and%20closing%20your%20above%20group%20pool

 

[gkruske]

Everyone does it differently, and I learned a ton just by watching the pool guy who I had over my first year. If you have valves on each pipe run, it becomes easier, since you can isolate each line.

Like you, I have a big ugly shop vac that I connect to the skimmer. I blow one set of returns at a time (1 valve open, 1 valve closed), then I switch. The only run I can't blow out with the vac is my main drain....I have to use an air compressor since it provides a larger volume of air.

Once you get a fine mist coming out of the returns, remove the shop vac and pour RV antifreeze into the skimmer lines. Hook shop vac back up and blow until see some antifreeze start to mist out of the returns. Cap the returns off with winterizing plugs, and move on to the next set.

 

[privacyhound]

Everyone does it differently, and I learned a ton just by watching the pool guy who I had over my first year. If you have valves on each pipe run, it becomes easier, since you can isolate each line.

Like you, I have a big ugly shop vac that I connect to the skimmer. I blow one set of returns at a time (1 valve open, 1 valve closed), then I switch. The only run I can't blow out with the vac is my main drain....I have to use an air compressor since it provides a larger volume of air.

Once you get a fine mist coming out of the returns, remove the shop vac and pour RV antifreeze into the skimmer lines. Hook shop vac back up and blow until see some antifreeze start to mist out of the returns. Cap the returns off with winterizing plugs, and move on to the next set.

I don't have any valves. I have one line going into my pump and I line going into my heater. I have a filter with a multiport valve on top of it. I don't understand how to "get to" the lines. For example I usually go to my skimmer, remove the basket, and take my shop vac, put the leaf blower attachment into the line that is not my main drain, turn on the shop vac and blow out the water back through the pump. Then I take off the pvc line that is attached to my heater and blow out that line. Then I screw in the plugs, along with the rope, and add anti freeze. Thats it? What do you think???

 

[gkruske]

If you have no valves, then using winterizing plugs to isolate the lines while you're blowing with the vac might make the process more thorough.

As long as you put your multiport on recirculate, then you should have no need to remove the line from the heater....you will effectively blow those lines as well while you're connected to the skimmer.