How much antifreeze should I add to the pipes of an inground pool? I Live in New England and it gets pretty Dang cold up here. I just want to be sure I'm using enough without using too much and waste money.
How Much Antifreeze?
- Thread starter BerkshirePoolandSpa
- Start date
That's kinda like asking how big's a stick. :-D
There's no way to know since we don't know how much piping and what size it is. Also if you blow the lines out.
You need to add enough to basically fill the piping up and force all the water out if you don't blow the lines. Ever how much that takes.
There's no way to know since we don't know how much piping and what size it is. Also if you blow the lines out.
You need to add enough to basically fill the piping up and force all the water out if you don't blow the lines. Ever how much that takes.
I plan on blowing out the lines. They are 1.5" pipes and sit about 10 feet from the pool.
I live in worcester county and have never added antifreeze. I blow the lines out wet and plug them as each return blows. Any water left in the lines will be below 3+ feet anyway. As long as the lines are blown, I never saw a reason to use antifreeze.
bk406 said:
bk406, when you say you blow them out wet does that mean you dont drain the pool? When I opened my pool (didn't close it), the water was at swimming level.
I only drain enough water to get the level right at the bottom of the skimmer. I blow the lines from the pump out into the pool. I let the return bubble for 30 seconds or so, then cap it off with a plug. Once i cap the one nearest the pump, the next one starts to blow. I just continue around the pool and cap the returns and skimmer as they start to blow. Once everythings capped, i put my multiport on backwash and blow the filter. Then i go back to "filter" on the multiport, remove the plug from the heater and make sure the waters out. Once thats done, i put the loop loc on and have coffee :-D
Martha_D said:
I blow my lines with a compressor. I dont use antifreeze. Never saw the need if you blow the lines.
bk406 said:
I may be being dense here, but Im a total Newbie...do you use the pump to backwash the filter or the compressor?
thanks!
Martha_D said:
ok, i see confusion here. When i say to put the multiport on backwash, all that does is direct the air thru the filter and out the backwash hose to remove any residual water out of the filter. When you blow out the lines of a pool, the filter pump is turned off and wont be used again until spring. The compressor blows the lines.
do you attach it to the skimmers or the pump? also, does the main drain blow out?BerkshirePoolandSpa said:
Martha_D said:
I attach it to the skimmer. If you blow from the pump you'll just fill the skimmer and the water will flow back into the pipes
For the main drain, blow towards the main drain until you see it bubble. Let it go another 30 seconds then close the main drain valve while still blowing. This should air bound the line and hopefully keep water out.
Sorry for the late reply.
I blow from the pump. No problem with it. When the skimmer blows, just screw in the gizmo. Any water left in the line will be minimal and will fall below the freeze line anyway. I find it easier to attach my compressor to one of the drain plug outlets on the pump body.
How much depends on your pool size and how many line you have. I have a 22000 gallon pool. Equipment is about 20 feet away. I lower the water below the return and skimmer lines and then blow the lines. I pour antifreeze in each hole until it is filled up or the AF starts to come out of another connected hole. I'm probably overdoing it but AF is cheap and this is cheap insurance against a burst line. I use about 15 bottles of RV AntiFreeze and at about $2.50 a bottle it adds up to $40. Not much IMO for my peace of mind.
What happens to the antifreeze when you open the pool in spring? Do you need to pump/vacuum it out, or just let it mix in the pool water?
Most of the time you don't have a good way to get it out so it gets mixed in the bulk pool water. I recommend getting as much as you can easily get out and then not worrying about the rest. Just let it mix in.
Do any of you blow the lines in the spring to remove the antifreeze? That would get most of it out, but maybe it is not worth the effort.
jmhjgh said:
I don't use anti-freeze (and never had a problem), but, if I did, I'd start the pump on "WASTE". Then open all skimmers and drains and run for a minute before switching to "FILTER". That will pull the anti-freeze from the suction lines and get rid of it. Then you only have to worry about the returns or pressure side cleaner/feature lines. As it's non-toxic, I'd probably live with it.
I blow from the pump, too. My 5hp 50gal compressor shoots the water 10 feet in the air from the skimmers and gets the skimmer nice and dry. I don't use a gizmo. PB taught me to just use a pipe plug and put in a pair of 1 qt. chem bottles (like PolyQuat bottles). I put a pair of bricks on top of those. Then I cover the skimmer with an empty 25lb. chem bucket with a few more bricks on top of that to keep the rain out. Has worked fine since 2004.
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