My compressor gave out and thinking about buying a Cyclone

Jump to latest Follow Reply
C

Clueless

0
Apr 14, 2011
65
The Bluegrass State
I've lived in my house with an in-ground pool since 2010. I paid a pool company to open it the first year and I watched them and took notes. I've opened it every year since. About five or six years ago, I started closing it myself. So far no issues!

Today I went to close it and my compressor is dead. My ShopVac (6HP) has never been able to blow the main drain, so I put the cover on and set out to either find a new compressor (which I've never felt comfortable using for this purpose, BTW) or finally buy a Cyclone like the pool guys used.

Curious how they worked, I found this video on Youtube and my mind has been blown. First off, I've always hooked my compressor up to the drain plug on the pump which blew water OUT of the skimmer (and jets) but he's doing it the other way!?! But where my mind gets blown is he uses the second hole to blow out the main drain. That scared me! You see, I have two holes in the bottom of my - one and only - skimmer but one of the holes is capped off and I've never removed that cap in 12 years!

1. Have I been doing this wrong the entire time by leaving the one hole capped in the bottom of the skimmer? Am I supposed to have two open holes in the bottom of my skimmer when my pool is running?

2. Assuming I am indeed supposed to have two holes open, if I buy the Cyclone, I can see how you would blow it out through the skimmer holes but how do you get an air lock? With my compressor and pump drain plug method, I would shut off the main drain valve when the air bubbles started coming out and get a good air lock. I'm confused about how this works the way the guy in the video is doing it. Doesn't the water just rush back in the main drain when he turns off the Cyclone?

3. Maybe I should just stay with my tried and true compressor method and pump drain plugs?

Help me out here!
 
There are a few ways to plumb the main drain. You would not have a plug in the skimmer hole if your main drain was there. Do not remove the plug in your skimmer.

Post pics of your equipment pad so we can talk about this together.

The Cyclone is the best blower for winterizing a pool, just pricey but worth it.
 
Where do the two pipes into the suction side of your pump go to?
 
Clueless said:
Left pipe goes to the main drain.
Click to expand...

Ok, that is where your main drain is plumbed to. Not to your skimmer.

Your pool is easy to blow out. Blow from the pump basket down the skimmer line and main drain line.

Remove the SWG cell and blow down to the returns.

In the video he is blowing a different way. You can blow either way. It all depends how a specific pool is setup. I don't think that video applies to your pool setup.
 
Yeah, I'm going to stick to blowing it out like I always have. Bought a Cyclone today, so I'm planning on using the threaded side of an extra Pentair pump union I have to be an adapter to go from the Cyclone to the spot where the pump currently hooks up to those two black pipes. That should get me good air volume to properly blow out the skimmer and main drain.

Still need to figure out how to blow back through the returns but my SWG union may be the same as the pump union so I can just hook up there and blow out the other way. Don't know yet.

I have seen some interesting concoctions people have come up with buying a second pump lid and adding the adapter there to, I assume, blow the air in both directions depending on which valves are open/closed.

If I'm being honest, I don't understand the difference between pressure and flow in this scenario. With my compressor, I pressurized the system at the pump which pushed water out both ends. If this Cyclone is low pressure but high flow, I'm just not seeing how thats going to move water through a system but I'm sure I'll see it soon enough!
 
I have a Cyclone and used it for the first time last season. It is freaking incredible how much air that thing moves. Shoots water out of the skimmers 6 feet high.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Newdude
I bought a Cyclone too. Watched the PB do it year one and did it myself year two (this will be year three coming up). He used a Cyclone so I went ahead and bought one. It cost some money, but my thought is that it doesn’t cost as much as having it done so I’m ahead and I own good equipment. I haven’t learned all my life lessons, but I have figured out that it’s better to buy/have the right tool for the job. Less aggravation in the end.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Nectarologist, wgipe and Newdude
I’ve been using a compressor for many years, and it’s a pain lugging a whole lot of hose out to the pool. (The compressor is too big to easily bring to the pool etc…)

The Cyclone is a lot of bucks for a once a year thing. Can someone convince me to bite the bullet and shell out the money for the Cyclone?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Quickstep192 said:
The Cyclone is a lot of bucks for a once a year thing. Can someone convince me to bite the bullet and shell out the money for the Cyclone?
Click to expand...
When it lasts 20 years, it's $15 a year for WAY less PITA at closing time. Next year the cost may still sting a little. Years 3-20 you won't even remember what else you could have spent the money on.

Do it for future you. (y)
 
Not sure this will convince anyone, but the Cyclone is just the right tool for the job. Compressors just don’t throw out the volume of air that a Cyclone does. I’m not sure how a compressor works in a pool, but in a sprinkler system, they don’t have the volume of air to push out all the water. I suspect that it’s the same with pools. Of course, they may be good enough, but I don’t feel like taking the chance given how expensive it would be to repair a cracked pipe. As for the cost, it was easy for me to justify because I bought it the first time I closed the pool and it was less than the cost of having someone close my pool. So, I broke even after the first use based on that logic.
 
A follow up question.

Is a cyclone powerful enough to blow out a main drain through the pump basket?

My main drain is plumbed back to the pump, not to a skimmer.

Can the cyclone pressurize the pipe to the drain to create the necessary airlock?
 
The Cyclone will clear the drain line with ease. If you have a valve or diverter, you close it while under pressure to act like your finger over a straw before you dunk it.

**edit. I see you have ball valves and many leak because they are low quality. Make sure to have all ends capped with either plugs or gizmos, and it won't matter if the valve doesn't hold pressure. (Drain plugs in after blowing also)
 
Last edited:
Quickstep192 said:
A follow up question.

Is a cyclone powerful enough to blow out a main drain through the pump basket?

My main drain is plumbed back to the pump, not to a skimmer.

Can the cyclone pressurize the pipe to the drain to create the necessary airlock?
Click to expand...
I’ve tried both on my main drain. I was barely able to get it to work with the compressor. The cyclone pushed bubbles like crazy. But I attach it to the plumbing from the pad.
 
Clueless said:
Yeah, I'm going to stick to blowing it out like I always have. Bought a Cyclone today, so I'm planning on using the threaded side of an extra Pentair pump union I have to be an adapter to go from the Cyclone to the spot where the pump currently hooks up to those two black pipes. That should get me good air volume to properly blow out the skimmer and main drain.

Still need to figure out how to blow back through the returns but my SWG union may be the same as the pump union so I can just hook up there and blow out the other way. Don't know yet.

I have seen some interesting concoctions people have come up with buying a second pump lid and adding the adapter there to, I assume, blow the air in both directions depending on which valves are open/closed.

If I'm being honest, I don't understand the difference between pressure and flow in this scenario. With my compressor, I pressurized the system at the pump which pushed water out both ends. If this Cyclone is low pressure but high flow, I'm just not seeing how thats going to move water through a system but I'm sure I'll see it soon enough!
Click to expand...
I have a 60 gallon 2 stage compressor plumbed all the way to my pool from my garage, but still purchased a Cyclone due to the high volume/low pressure aspect. It initially nauseated me due to the cost of what you are getting, but it works amazing and gives me confidence ALL the water was blown out, at least initially. Hopefully my main drain air lock holds though. That is my only concern @ this point.
 
Clueless said:
I have seen some interesting concoctions people have come up with buying a second pump lid and adding the adapter there to, I assume, blow the air in both directions depending on which valves are open/closed.
Click to expand...
Lots of those crafty ideas on this forum, yes! I watched my PB blow the lines last year - in prep of doing it myself now - and what they used was this cheap and handy cone cuff adapter. Sticks in vac hose connected to Cyclone on one end, and the other end snugs tight into 1.5-2" pipes and unions and creates a good seal. I found it the easiest approach by far. Give it a try before you engineer something v complex- it's super cheap and easy! Good luck
 
  • Like
Reactions: Newdude
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply