zenben said:
Sounds good.
Just to play devils advocate. Buying the "Mighty Vac" is totally unecessary unless you are installing vinyl liners. Right?
You do not need the "Mighty Vac" to winterize your pool. Pretty much any compressor will do the job of blowing out pool plumbing. If you have a compressor, then it should work just fine, and there is no need for you to buy anything else.
Note: I drain the system and clear the suction side separately from the returns. I don't try to clear the system with water in the filter and other equipment. If I do clear the entire system, I will drain all of the equipment first.
Some people pressurize the entire system without draining anything first. If the person is clearing the entire system, then it will take a little more than a few minutes. Example
2 skimmers at 100 feet of 2 inch PVC..............4 cubic feet
1 main drain at 100 feet of 2 inch PVC.............2 cubic feet
1 Polaris line at 100 feet of 2 inch PVC............2 cubic feet
1 vacuum line at 100 feet of 2 inch PVC..........2 cubic feet
2 Return lines at 100 feet of 2 inch PVC..........4 cubic feet
3 foot diameter sand filter...........................14 cubic feet.
Miscellaneous.............................................2 cubic feet.
________________________________________________
Total......................................................30 cubic feet
If someone was using a 1 CFM compressor to clear the entire system without draining anything first, then it could take up to 30 minutes. Therefore, that should be about the slowest that it would take to clear a system. And, that does not include the fact that water is going to drain out anyway, which will speed thing sup.
For most pools, the lines will not be that long and if you don't include the filter or other equipment, then it should not take more than 10 minutes in most cases, even with a 1 CFM compressor, which is about as slow as compressors get. Most compressors will do at least 2 CFM at low pressure.