Verification of proper 1st time closing.

[Maveri9720]

Hey all. This is my first time closing my pool and could use some advice on whether what I have done is the right way and whether or not I'm going to damage something. This week it was finally forecasted that freezing temps would occur, so this past weekend I closed up.

This is what I did:

Dropped water level below the eyeball return. Disconnected union before pump. Literally blew out line from skimmer to union disconnect at pump. Drained out pump. Disconnected union between pump and sand filter. Removed small glass collection bottle. Drained sand filter and left off drain cap as per filter instructions. Disconnected union after filter. Disconnected union before eyeball return and literally blew out line from filter union to return union.

I live in Atlanta, so we don't get snow and have freezing temps here and there, but usually nothing significant.

Here are a couple questions I have:

- Do I need to remove the pressure gauge?

- Do I really need to leave off the filter drain plug all winter, as per the instructions? What about bugs getting in?

- I am alittle worried about rainwater coming in from the top of the skimmer cover and going down that pipe. The union is uphill from the skimmer, so water will collect in the pipe. If it freezes, will it damage the skimmer/pipe, or if it's open on both ends it won't damage, I'm unsure?

- Same issue with the return line disconnect and rainwater entering the union and collecting at the bottom of the pipe, b/c again, the union at the filter is uphill from the return line disconnect.

- I left the eyeball return open and was planning on using that for rainwater overflow. Is this OK?

- Also, concerning the skimmer, I don't have a plug and thought about it, but if I plugged it, then rainwater would still collect in the skimmer box and if that froze, would that damage the skimmer box?

Can someone educate me please?

Thanks for the help.

 

[spishex]

- Do I need to remove the pressure gauge?

No. If the multiport is set to a neutral, in-between position it will drain out since you already have the sight glass out.

- Do I really need to leave off the filter drain plug all winter, as per the instructions? What about bugs getting in?

Bugs will only be able to get into the drain spigot which is smaller than your finger. After that theres a lot of plastic and sand in the way. You could get away with putting it back on but there wouldn't be any benefit that I can think of.

- I am alittle worried about rainwater coming in from the top of the skimmer cover and going down that pipe. The union is uphill from the skimmer, so water will collect in the pipe. If it freezes, will it damage the skimmer/pipe, or if it's open on both ends it won't damage, I'm unsure?

If you have the option, I'd disconnect the line from the skimmer and leave it open on the bottom. If it's hard plumbed, use a Gizzmo which will plug the hole and prevent ice damage inside the skimmer box.

- Same issue with the return line disconnect and rainwater entering the union and collecting at the bottom of the pipe, b/c again, the union at the filter is uphill from the return line disconnect.

I'm not very clear on this one. If you can't seal the line with plugs then pick up some pool antifreeze and add it to the line.

- I left the eyeball return open and was planning on using that for rainwater overflow. Is this OK?

I do the same thing with the skimmer line as I described above. The only difference is the water level.

- Also, concerning the skimmer, I don't have a plug and thought about it, but if I plugged it, then rainwater would still collect in the skimmer box and if that froze, would that damage the skimmer box?

Yes, hence the gizzmo or disconnect. And be sure to get the above ground version if you go with a gizzmo. It's shorter and will allow you to keep the lid on. Like this one: http://discountpooldepot.stores.yahoo.net/gizzmo.html

 

[Maveri9720]

Thank you for the concise and informative reply.

Couple follow-ups:

Should I be plugging the lines where the union disconnects are? If so, then with what?

Everything is hard-plumbed, so I can't remove the skimmer line. I will definitely look into getting the Gizmo, as it seems it would solve my skimmer box questions.

Regarding the eyeball return, I'm still alittle unclear. There is a union disconnect about 2 ft from the eyeball return. I was planning on leaving this open, so when it rains alot and the poll water level rises to the eyeball fitting, it will just drain out the disconnect. Is this OK, or should I get a plug for the return line?

Everything else seems clear and understandable.

Thanks again for the info.

 

[spishex]

I try to leave unions connected so there's no chance of losing o-rings, but if you want the water to drain from the return line, which is fine, then you'll have to leave that one undone. Since that leaves you with your freeze concern, you can either plug it with anything from a rubber plug to a rubber glove and some tape depending on your fashion sense, or add antifreeze into the line so that it won't matter if water gets in.

The return line drain is fine, I just don't usually drain that low. As long as your cover fits ok with the water level down there then you're good, just be sure to keep water off the cover since it will displace water out of the pool and lead to even more filling next summer.

Are you covering it?

If so you shouldn't be getting much more water in anyway, so you might consider just plugging it and reconnecting the union so the pipe stays dry. If not, it won't hurt in your climate to have water as far up as just below the top of the gizzmo, so I'd still plug it and siphon out water if it topped the gizzmo.

So the short answer to what I'd do is plug the return, gizzmo the skimmer, reconnect all the unions and siphon out the water if it gets up to skimmer level. But if you don't want to look at the water level until next spring, keep doing what you're doing and protect the return line either with a plug/cap or antifreeze.

 

[TizMe]

Hi Mav,

We live in Monroe, GA and for the first time in three years we are NOT closing our pool this year. We are going to put a leaf net cover in place to keep out all he falling leaves and the budding ones for next spring. I will reduce our pump run time to during night hours since that is when we get our light freezes here and that should keep the water circulating enough to prevent any pipes from freezing.

A lot down here in the south on this forum dont "Close" their pools for the winter months so I am going to give it a try this year and see what happens.

One thing I will do is make sure the water is balanced, put our pool cleaner in to run for a few hours and shock before we cover it ....

Good Luck !

 

[Maveri9720]

I try to leave unions connected so there's no chance of losing o-rings, but if you want the water to drain from the return line, which is fine, then you'll have to leave that one undone. Since that leaves you with your freeze concern, you can either plug it with anything from a rubber plug to a rubber glove and some tape depending on your fashion sense, or add antifreeze into the line so that it won't matter if water gets in.

The return line drain is fine, I just don't usually drain that low. As long as your cover fits ok with the water level down there then you're good, just be sure to keep water off the cover since it will displace water out of the pool and lead to even more filling next summer.

Are you covering it?

If so you shouldn't be getting much more water in anyway, so you might consider just plugging it and reconnecting the union so the pipe stays dry. If not, it won't hurt in your climate to have water as far up as just below the top of the gizzmo, so I'd still plug it and siphon out water if it topped the gizzmo.

So the short answer to what I'd do is plug the return, gizzmo the skimmer, reconnect all the unions and siphon out the water if it gets up to skimmer level. But if you don't want to look at the water level until next spring, keep doing what you're doing and protect the return line either with a plug/cap or antifreeze.

Thanks for the info.

I will go ahead and plug the return line and go to the pool store and pick up a Gizmo for the skimmer box. I'll reconnect the unions too.

I'm not covering the pool, since I don't get too much debris in it.

How critical is it to get all of the water out of the lines? I tried blowing out the lines with my mouth, b/c I don't have a shop-vac that I can change to blow and I got alot of the water out, but not all of it. The lines coming from the pump and filter go downhill to the pool, then take a 90 degree turn downwards about 1-2 ft, go another 2-3 ft and then go back up to the pool. Basically a U-shape, so it's hard to get all of the water out.

TizMe,

Thanks for the insight. I thought long and hard about leaving the pool open for the rest of the winter, but it seems a waste of electricity to me, which equals $. Closing the pool doesn't cost me a dime, minus the Gizmo ($5), I save on electricity costs by not running the pump, which could get excessive if we have a cold spell and the pump runs for days at a time, plus I don't have to buy a freeze switch. I also don't have to worry about keeping the water level in between the min and max to make sure I don't burn out the pump, or overflow my skimmer box. And I also don't have to buy a cover and cover pump if I wanted to avoid worrying about keeping the water at the right level.

Thanks for the help and advice though.

 

[spishex]

It is very important to address the water in the "U". That's a prime place (around those 90's) for ice to do some damage. If you've gotten all the water you can out, pour some antifreeze into the lines.

You could also:
- Tap a 3/8" threaded hole into the lowest point of the plumbing and buy a drain plug to seal it next season, that way you don't have this problem again.
- Install a union at the lowest point, fixing the problem.
- Insulate the line. You'd have to know where the water was, but in our climate a bit of pipe insulation is usually adequate. Some people also use fiberglass for this, which is easier to get around 90's and other fittings.

I'd go with the antifreeze unless you just like to drill/saw stuff. :-D

 

[Maveri9720]

It is very important to address the water in the "U". That's a prime place (around those 90's) for ice to do some damage. If you've gotten all the water you can out, pour some antifreeze into the lines.

You could also:
- Tap a 3/8" threaded hole into the lowest point of the plumbing and buy a drain plug to seal it next season, that way you don't have this problem again.
- Install a union at the lowest point, fixing the problem.
- Insulate the line. You'd have to know where the water was, but in our climate a bit of pipe insulation is usually adequate. Some people also use fiberglass for this, which is easier to get around 90's and other fittings.

I'd go with the antifreeze unless you just like to drill/saw stuff. :-D

Yea, I was alittle worried about that. I don't have access to the bottom 90's. They are buried under about 1 - 1 1/2ft of sand, landscaping fabric, then decorative rock. Do you think this will be enough insulation to keep them from freezing?

If not, how much antifreeze do I need to add?

I also picked up a Gizzmo and a plug for the return line. I have a problem with both and am going to start a new thread to address those issues.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[spishex]

That may be enough, but I wouldn't want to test it. I'd put a gallon in each line to be safe.

 

[Maveri9720]

Will do.

Thank you very much.

 

[launboy]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this. What about using a leaf blower to get the water out? I used one to get all of the water out of the lines in our hot tub and it worked great.
I have a similar situation to Maveri. My pipes are also U shaped also, and I plan to use a leaf blower to get the air out. If it doesn't work, I'll resort to the air compressor.

HTH,
Adam