My pool is about to be closed for its third time. The first couple of years I had the pool store do it as once was free. I am doing this myself this year. I’ve read pool school on how to close a pool. I’ve watched my pool store close my pool (apparently not close enough hence this thread). I’ve read the pinned topic closing-an-in-ground-pool-t2896.html I’ve searched threads here at troublefreepool. Because of my setup, I am seeking some additional advice. Obviously there can be opinions of what you should or should not do. I am most interested in if anything in the process is something that you would NOT do in the category of “if you do this, you are begging for a major repair/problem”. I am also aware that for my climate (Western PA) that I am late in closing my pool. Work tasks and a family vacation led to the delay. I am aware of the beliefs that if you blow out the lines you won’t need
Here is my setup, I’ve also attached a photo of my equipment pad and another with location of skimmer return and jets.
18x36 IG Vinyl
2 jets in steps
2 jets in deep end
1 return skimmer in shallow
Hayward pump
Hayward DE 4820 filter (not the older finger kind)
Vari Flo SP-710XR50 control valve (backwash 12, recirculate 2, rinse 4, filter 6, waste 8, closed 10 – numbers indicate aprx clock face)
Tigerflex PVC 1 ½ and some rigid PVC near pad.
My closing plan
Here is what I plan to do for closing. I have some questions and more detail info below.
1) Shock the pool and add algaecide the night before
2) Vacuum the pool
3) Backwash, no adding more DE
4) Drain pool water to near skimmer bottom
5) Turn off all AC at panel
6) De-pressure pool filter, let water drain plug off at bottom, take top off and clean inner cell with hose (using garden adapter for some pressure)
7) Winterize Skimmer Return
10) Put inner cell in DE filter and recover
11) Attach winter cover
Questions and more summary
How to I blow out the lines for my jets and add RV anti-freeze?
Because of my pad setup, access to my one skimmer return is relatively easy in that I have access to the basket where the pump is and all items can occur there.
However, access to the jet lines is lesser than ideal. I see the following access points there:
1) Add the anti-freeze to the jets via a 90 elbow PVC workaround (see below). Still need a way to blow out the lines.
2) After I de-pressure and take the lid off my DE filter, I in theory have access to its output port where I can blow out the lines and feed in antifreeze. Since I haven’t opened the filter (didn’t pay attention close enough when pool store did it) I can’t determine how easy it will be to access that location. Because the output to the filter connects to the heater, it is less than ideal to put anti-freeze here because of the up and down nature and through the heater. I assume I would have to keep filling and then blow the anti-freeze through the lines.
3) Set the vari flow to recirculate and then attach shop vac in pump basket. How add antifreeze this way?
4) Cut the PVC just in front of the T that splits the jets and connects to output of the heater? This is less than ideal because of having to cut PVC, but I do plan on installing a salt cell in that exact location in the spring.
The 90 elbow periscope idea. I noted that my pool store when blowing out the lines would have the water level at normal height (i.e. above the jets) and would take off the jet connection, then hand hold a 90 PVC elbow with a 1-2 foot PVC piece that stuck up out of the water like a periscope. When they blew out the line, a geyser type effect would happen until the lines were basically blown out. They would then remove the 90 and quickly screw in the plug for the jet. I asked “won’t some water get back in the line?” and their response was “yes, but that is what the anti-freeze is for”.
Please note that my plan for blowing out the lines is to use a shop vac of 16 gallon 6HP peak size. This is much larger than the shop vac the pool store used. My neighbor uses a similar size. I do not have access to an air compressor and view that doing the blowing of lines and adding RV anti-freeze will be adequate.
Does my plan of doing the jets sound like the best way (doing far jets first then closer steps jets)?
When I clean the inside of my DE filter, should I do anything else besides hose it off? My neighbor has the older “finger” style that you have to manual bump. He puts his in muriatic acid for 24 hours. I view I do not have to do this.
Do I need to run the filter for so long after adding the algaecide? Can this be added with the filter off (i.e. after blowing out lines)
I mention here about adding anti-freeze. My neighbor has same pool size and adds < 1 gallon to skimmer and < 1 gallon to jet lines. I plan on adding at least one full gallon to skimmer line and at least 4 gallons to the jet lines. Can you add too much anti-freeze?
The algaecide I got from my pool store is Pool Breeze Algaecide 60 1qt. 60% active ingredient is Poly[oxyethlene(dimethyliminio)ethylene(dimethylimino)ethylene dichloride.
Here is my setup, I’ve also attached a photo of my equipment pad and another with location of skimmer return and jets.
18x36 IG Vinyl
2 jets in steps
2 jets in deep end
1 return skimmer in shallow
Hayward pump
Hayward DE 4820 filter (not the older finger kind)
Vari Flo SP-710XR50 control valve (backwash 12, recirculate 2, rinse 4, filter 6, waste 8, closed 10 – numbers indicate aprx clock face)
Tigerflex PVC 1 ½ and some rigid PVC near pad.
My closing plan
Here is what I plan to do for closing. I have some questions and more detail info below.
1) Shock the pool and add algaecide the night before
2) Vacuum the pool
3) Backwash, no adding more DE
4) Drain pool water to near skimmer bottom
5) Turn off all AC at panel
6) De-pressure pool filter, let water drain plug off at bottom, take top off and clean inner cell with hose (using garden adapter for some pressure)
7) Winterize Skimmer Return
- a. Put one layer of plumber tape on gizmo and screw into skimmer. Remove top plug from gizmo.
b. Connect shop vac to pump basket inlet and blow out return line (water will geyser out top of gizmo)
c. Add antifreeze to pump basket inlet and to the top of gizmo
d. Attach Aquador cover to skimmer return
e. Suck out water in skimmer return
f. Plug top of gizmo and pump basket
- a. Put plugs into deep end jets
b. Put one plug into step jet
c. Hand hold 90 pvc periscope (see below) to step jet and blow it out with shop vac connected to inside of DE filter output (vari flow set to filter)
d. Dump some anti freeze into periscope, then quickly remove periscope and connect plug to jet.
e. Do same process with other step jet
f. Close T connection to step jets at equipment pad (see photo)
g. Unplug closest deep jet, hold periscope, blow out line, add antifreeze, quickly plug.
h. Do same process with other deep jet.
i. Open the T connection to step jets at equipment pad (see photo)
j. Dump anti freeze into jet lines (through inner DE filter outlet)
10) Put inner cell in DE filter and recover
11) Attach winter cover
Questions and more summary
How to I blow out the lines for my jets and add RV anti-freeze?
Because of my pad setup, access to my one skimmer return is relatively easy in that I have access to the basket where the pump is and all items can occur there.
However, access to the jet lines is lesser than ideal. I see the following access points there:
1) Add the anti-freeze to the jets via a 90 elbow PVC workaround (see below). Still need a way to blow out the lines.
2) After I de-pressure and take the lid off my DE filter, I in theory have access to its output port where I can blow out the lines and feed in antifreeze. Since I haven’t opened the filter (didn’t pay attention close enough when pool store did it) I can’t determine how easy it will be to access that location. Because the output to the filter connects to the heater, it is less than ideal to put anti-freeze here because of the up and down nature and through the heater. I assume I would have to keep filling and then blow the anti-freeze through the lines.
3) Set the vari flow to recirculate and then attach shop vac in pump basket. How add antifreeze this way?
4) Cut the PVC just in front of the T that splits the jets and connects to output of the heater? This is less than ideal because of having to cut PVC, but I do plan on installing a salt cell in that exact location in the spring.
The 90 elbow periscope idea. I noted that my pool store when blowing out the lines would have the water level at normal height (i.e. above the jets) and would take off the jet connection, then hand hold a 90 PVC elbow with a 1-2 foot PVC piece that stuck up out of the water like a periscope. When they blew out the line, a geyser type effect would happen until the lines were basically blown out. They would then remove the 90 and quickly screw in the plug for the jet. I asked “won’t some water get back in the line?” and their response was “yes, but that is what the anti-freeze is for”.
Please note that my plan for blowing out the lines is to use a shop vac of 16 gallon 6HP peak size. This is much larger than the shop vac the pool store used. My neighbor uses a similar size. I do not have access to an air compressor and view that doing the blowing of lines and adding RV anti-freeze will be adequate.
Does my plan of doing the jets sound like the best way (doing far jets first then closer steps jets)?
When I clean the inside of my DE filter, should I do anything else besides hose it off? My neighbor has the older “finger” style that you have to manual bump. He puts his in muriatic acid for 24 hours. I view I do not have to do this.
Do I need to run the filter for so long after adding the algaecide? Can this be added with the filter off (i.e. after blowing out lines)
I mention here about adding anti-freeze. My neighbor has same pool size and adds < 1 gallon to skimmer and < 1 gallon to jet lines. I plan on adding at least one full gallon to skimmer line and at least 4 gallons to the jet lines. Can you add too much anti-freeze?
The algaecide I got from my pool store is Pool Breeze Algaecide 60 1qt. 60% active ingredient is Poly[oxyethlene(dimethyliminio)ethylene(dimethylimino)ethylene dichloride.
