Underwater vs dry closing

[Mattikuss]

Hey y’all, my pool is still under warranty and with that warranty the pool company requires us to have them professionally close the pool, so, the pool company is closing our pool next week. They offered us two types of closings, underwater and dry. We don’t want to drain our pool so we are paying an extra $50 for the underwater closing. Can anyone explain the difference and why the pool company uses these blue, 2-liter bottle looking things with threads on them?

 

[Newdude]

They're called gizmos. They seal the skimmer pipe and absorb ice expansion when it freezes.



For a solid cover, you can leave the pool filled when the plumbing is properly blown/ plugged. With a mesh cover or no cover, you drain to allow room for it to fill back up with rain, and drain again over the winter ad needed. The gizzmo is beneficial for both covers / closing styles.

I also stuff my skimmer with cut up pool noodles. There's a couple to donate every year that needed to be replaced anyway. Lol

 

[Mattikuss]

They're called gizmos. They seal the skimmer pipe and absorb ice expansion when it freezes.

View attachment 615548

For a solid cover, you can leave the pool filled when the plumbing is properly blown/ plugged. With a mesh cover or no cover, you drain to allow room for it to fill back up with rain, and drain again over the winter ad needed. The gizzmo is beneficial for both covers / closing styles.

I also stuff my skimmer with cut up pool noodles. There's a couple to donate every year that needed to be replaced anyway. Lol

View attachment 615551View attachment 615552

Why do you do this with the pool noodles?

 

[Newdude]

The gizzmo doesn't protect the skimmer throat and with a mesh cover, the water may be above it when i realize it.

I stay on top of it so the water likely will never be above the skimmer mouth. Ice mostly expands up instead of out if the skimmer is half(?) full, but it's super easy insurance to stuff with noodles in case i don't realize it's time to drain more. At that point, a couple chunks around the gizzmo in the area that is protected don't hurt and only takes another few more seconds.