Overnight Water Loss w/pump off

[JamesW]

They should have pressure tested the main drain.

You can plug the main drain and leave the pump off overnight to see if the pool still leaks.

You have to remove the pump lid to get a good test.

 

[George D]

I had the pool closed yesterday. They blew out the lines but the water remained level with the bottom of the skimmers. I asked if we should lower the level to a few inches below the returns and they said it's not necessary. Should I have them return or is it ok like this?

I'll find out more info about pressure testing the main drain.. How do I plug the main drain?

At what setting should the filter be in? It's at Recirculate. Is that a problem?

 

[Catanzaro]

They blew out the lines but the water remained level with the bottom of the skimmers.

This is fine. What type of cover do you have. Usually a few inches of rain will increase the level back to the middle of the skimmer. I only drain to this point when closing the pool. Pool closings vary and a lot depends on comfort level of pool owner and/or the pool closing company.

 

[George D]

Ok, Thanks. I have a mesh cover.

After they were done blowing out the lines I asked if they will empty the water from the NG pool heater and they said it was done while they were blowing out the lines for the pool. Is that accurate? There are no unions connected to the heater so the pipes would cutting in order to blow from the pipes. They used a 3 HP Cyclone Liner Vac.
The gas line valve is off and the valve inside the heater is also off. Is there anything else that should be done to winterize the heater? It is located inside the garage.

 

[Catanzaro]

Is that accurate?

According to manufacturers recommendations, the answer is "NO". Although, in my heater I do not have a drain plug and cleared the heater the same exact way. In addition, all my friends that have heaters and that I assisted in their pool closings, we did not remove any drain plugs as this was never done in the past. IMO, excess water is not left in the heater. The filter is a different story. The drain plug needs to be removed. Even then, not all the water drains out of the filter as last year I experimented with a small shop vac and water continued to come out (at a very low rate) even a month later.

I would not worry as even if there was the slightest amount of standing water and it would freeze, there would be no damage. Think about the process and how long the blower was running to clear out the return side. I doubt there is any water left. I took the unions apart at the SWG because there was a dummy pipe. Only thing left were traces of dried up salt from the water. No water at all, not even wet. Hope this helps.

 

[George D]

Yes, Thank you. This definitely helps. No need to worry about the heater.

That reminds me to remove drain plug from filter. It was loosened during the closing so only water would come out. When the plug was removed, sand was coming out also. When my neighbor added the new sand (the time with my back problem) he added an additional 50 lbs over that recommended on the filter. 300 lbs instead of 250.