Please Confirm I closed Correctly!

[h2ctpdjl]

I have read Pool School and many posts about closing my IG pool. However, I find that I do not understand all the Jargon being used, making it difficult to understand. You helped me open my pool this spring and need to close it myself this week. It would be most helpful to get some step by step instructions that even a female novice can understand.
I raised the chlorine level to Shock yesterday. Today, I would like to lower the water level. I have already removed the stair rails. I have attached pics of my equipment and set-up. Using the Pool School instructions, I have the following questions:

Store Equipment - I have removed the rails but wonder if I should do something about the holes and screw things in the concrete for the winter? What about the freezing and thawing. Will it cause problems?

Drain – I have the Aqua Genie skimmer/inlet setup. No eyeballs. I would like to lower the water level using my main drain, but unsure how to do that. Do I move my filter arm to waste and close all the pipes off except for the main drain one?

Remove Fittings – No eyeballs to remove, just skimmer basket.

Blow out the Lines – No Clue. I have a Leaf Blower but it has a very large opening at the end. Need Step by Step directions here please. I am NOT against renting whatever equipment I need to do this.

Drain Plugs – Assuming this is just the reverse of what I did this spring?

Anti-Freeze – How much? There is an RV dealership just down the road from me. If I can’t get it there, will a PS have it?

Seal the Pipes. I have a “gizmo” and a cover that goes over the skimmer/inlet combo opening. Do I need to tape it on to make sure it will stay? It doesn’t look like it would make a tight fit from looking at it.

Cover – I have an automatic cover and once the water level is dropped, it “drags” over the water, preventing it from closing completely. There will be a 4-5inch gap between the cover and the wall. I tried covering the gap with water bags to no avail. They either fall down through the gap into the water, or fall over off the gap onto the cover, depending on how much water is in them. It is a futile effort. I threw them out this spring. Any help with this problem would be greatly appreciated. I get immense amounts of worms and debris in the shallow end due to this problem. Maybe I can lower the water level with the cover already closed? Would this be possible?

Cover Pump – No problem with this one.

Slide - I did not see anything about this?

I would like to close by mid week so any help would be appreciated. Weather is to be sunny and mid 60s until Weds.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Re: Help for Newbie w/IG closing

I answered what I know in Bold, maybe someone else will know the rest....

Store Equipment - I have removed the rails but wonder if I should do something about the holes and screw things in the concrete for the winter? What about the freezing and thawing. Will it cause problems?

Drain – I have the Aqua Genie skimmer/inlet setup. No eyeballs. I would like to lower the water level using my main drain, but unsure how to do that. Do I move my filter arm to waste and close all the pipes off except for the main drain one?
Yes, that should work but see below...

Remove Fittings – No eyeballs to remove, just skimmer basket.

Blow out the Lines – No Clue. I have a Leaf Blower but it has a very large opening at the end. Need Step by Step directions here please. I am NOT against renting whatever equipment I need to do this.
My husband used a leaf blower on the heater, he has used a shopvac in the past. We use an air compressor fitting on our bottom drain. I don't have step-by-step but hopefully someone will be along. I watched him blow out the heater lines and he just opened the drain valves and the fitting connections and blew the air through all the openings till it stopped dripping out. The main drain we have a cap that goes above the shut off valve and it has a cap with a "tire stem" built into it. We screw that on, open the valve and use a compressor to blow air thru till we see bubbles in the water for about 45sec to 1 min. We don't use antifreeze.

Drain Plugs – Assuming this is just the reverse of what I did this spring?

Anti-Freeze – How much? There is an RV dealership just down the road from me. If I can’t get it there, will a PS have it?
Get RV antifreeze from Walmart, probably the cheapest route or get from the RV dealer. PS should have it but probably will cost more.

Seal the Pipes. I have a “gizmo” and a cover that goes over the skimmer/inlet combo opening. Do I need to tape it on to make sure it will stay? It doesn’t look like it would make a tight fit from looking at it.
see below.


Cover – I have an automatic cover and once the water level is dropped, it “drags” over the water, preventing it from closing completely. There will be a 4-5inch gap between the cover and the wall. I tried covering the gap with water bags to no avail. They either fall down through the gap into the water, or fall over off the gap onto the cover, depending on how much water is in them. It is a futile effort. I threw them out this spring. Any help with this problem would be greatly appreciated. I get immense amounts of worms and debris in the shallow end due to this problem. Maybe I can lower the water level with the cover already closed? Would this be possible?
I would think so, if you can see how far down to go? But maybe you don't need to drain down... see this thread.

Cover Pump – No problem with this one.

Slide - I did not see anything about this?
If you mean the plumbing to the slide you need to blow the lines out to that too, antifreeze if you like.

 

[h2ctpdjl]

Re: Help for Newbie w/IG closing

Thanks for your input frustrated pool mom. I read that thread a while back but it doesn't seem feasible to me to drain about 8" of water, then put it back in. I dont have a problem with renting whatever it takes to "blow" out my lines, but I need guidance on just how to do that. What exactly does "blowing" out the lines mean? How do I do that, how do I know I have done it right, etc. My PB closed my pool last year but I opened it. Evidently, nothing was done to the heater, as there was nothing for me to do to it in the spring? If so, I didn't do it. I will wait for more input from the pool experts. I guess I can start lowering my water level while waiting for more input?

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Re: Help for Newbie w/IG closing

We don't do anything to the heater in the spring, except turning on the pilot. Once the lines are drained of water (do you have an owner's manual for the heater?) he puts the valves back in place and then caps the pvc plumbing where our fittings go so no critters get in there. So in the spring we just hook back up the fittings and turn on the pilot and she's good to go.

Wish I could offer more insight on blowing out the other lines. Our other hoses are the AG flexible kind so we just remove them for the winter.

(I agree, I thought the draining/refilling thing was a bit confusing.) Hopefully someone with your type of cover will be along.

Maybe edit your title to include Auto-Cover or something to draw attention?

 

[h2ctpdjl]

Re: THIRD plea for IG closing Help!!!!!!!

I got out my heater manual and it shows where to drain the water. I am still waiting for some help with blowing out the lines. I have gone online and watched a video, but they show the process already started. I need step by step assistance as I am unsure what lines go where, etc. I have a leaf blower I may be able to use, but like I said, once I get help, I will gladly rent whatever it takes to get this job done. Frustrated right now. So far, I have removed the rails and lowered the water level. I am waiting for help now.

 

[waste]

Re: THIRD plea for IG closing Help!!!!!!!

Butterfly was kind enough to remind me of your plight (it was my Bday Mon, so I wasn't really here )


As I understand it, the pool is lowered to the level you want. Is it below the return inlet, on the skimmer?

Whether or not is not a BIG issue, I'll talk you through this Did the AquaGenie come with a winterizing strip/ plug? If not, we'll have to figure something out

Blowing the lines is as simple as applying enough air through the line to clear ~ all the water out of it and plugging the port before water can reenter it (if you can add antifreeze, that would be VERY good!

From your pics (thanks for the pics ), you can blow the lines 1 by 1 by turning off all but one valve at a time as you blow them

From your pics, blowing each line is as simple as closing a valve and applying air to it

We're here to help you, but you have a LOT of questions, so let's take them in order :-D

I'll be back tomorrow ~ 7:00, post further questions, but don't expect an answer from me till then

There are an awful lot of folks were with ~ the same knowledge that may see this before then

 

[X-PertPool]

Re: THIRD plea for IG closing Help!!!!!!!

Since you do have so many questions you might be better off having a reputable pool company close the pool for you. I would then call to make an appointment and ask if it is okay for you to take pictures or film, that way you can attempt it yourself next year. Sometimes seeing something being done is better than having someone explain it to you. Just an idea.

 

[h2ctpdjl]

Re: THIRD plea for IG closing Help!!!!!!!

Thanks for your help Waste, Many thanks! I don't know how to use the Edit stuff, so will answer each of your questions separately.
Yes, the water level is below the Aqua Genie Inlet. It comes with a Gizmo and a plastic cover that goes over the face of the skimmer.
I bought a gallon of antifreeze from the RV dealership down the road from me.
I have a leaf blower that I am going to try to use but will need to get some type of adapter to get it to fit into the opening? I have a shop/vac but don't see anything on it that will make it blow air out instead of just vacuuming. If i have to rent something, i can also do that, just tell me what I will need.
I guess I need to know which opening I blow the air into to start , and what piece of equipment i need to use to do the job completely and correctly. Once I know these two things, I will be able to get whatever adapter I may need to make the connection, and I will be ready to go per your directions.
I appreciate your help. This website told me how to open my pool this past spring and once I learn how to properly close it, I will no longer be dependant on my PB and have to worry about having the money to get it done.

 

[h2ctpdjl]

Re: FOURTH plea for IG closing Help!!!!!!!

I am afraid we are going to get freezing weather before I can get the lines blown out. Would appreciate any help I can get.

 

[waste]

Re: FOURTH plea for IG closing Help!!!!!!!

If you still have the pump up and the system still connected, run the pump overnight (at the temps you'll get, the flowing water will keep the pipes from freezing )

If you cant do that, you'll still, probably , be OK for 1 night of 'just below freezing temps'

We are here to help you

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Re: THIRD plea for IG closing Help!!!!!!!

I guess I need to know which opening I blow the air into to start , and what piece of equipment i need to use to do the job completely and correctly.

This is the current issue, correct?

I don't know how your shop vac works, but ours has an a vacume side and a exhaust side. I think if you put the hose connection to the exhaust side that will give you the force of air you need. Then you would just put the end of the hose on your various connections to force the air thru. I'm not sure if you have to start in a specific place, but gravity of course helps.

or

Check your local pool store for a screw-on PVC Cap that has a tire valve stem in the top. Then use an air compressor with it.

 

[h2ctpdjl]

Re: FOURTH plea for IG closing Help!!!!!!!

The shop vac I have does not blow air. I have a gas powered leaf blower and would like to try that if I can figure out what kind of fittings it will take to attach it to the pipes. Can you tell me where I start blowing the lines? At the pool side skimmer, the pump? How do I do it? I dont know the process and am waiting to hear from someone on how to do it. I don't have an air compressor, but if I end up having to rent one, I will get the PVC thing you suggested.

 

[JasonLion]

Re: FOURTH plea for IG closing Help!!!!!!!

The simplest thing is to try blowing from the skimmer. Occasionally you need to do something more complex, but most of the time the skimmer alone is enough. I use a rubber mat with a hole in it to seal the blower to the skimmer. You can also use a cone shaped end for the blower that will make a suitable seal by it's self, for example a traffic cone. Lots of things will work, you just need something that will give you some seal, not a perfect custom made fitting.

Most blowers will work with most pools. Occasionally the blower won't produce enough pressure to clear the pipes. When that happens you can turn to an air compressor, but that requires more equipment and a much better seal. Try the blower first, and don't worry about the air compressor unless the blower doesn't work at all.

 

[h2ctpdjl]

Re: FOURTH plea for IG closing Help!!!!!!!

Thanks Jason, I was beginning to give up hope of getting some guidance. I took it upon myself to just do what i thought was best and completed the job this afternoon. I bought a 5hp shopvac that blows. I blew out the skimmer line from the skimmer quite easily. I had the drain plug out at the pump so the water that blew into it quickly dispensed. Once I was blowing just air, i poured in half gal RV antifreeze and screwed in the gizmo. I then added about 6 more cups of antifreeze into the skimmer "well" and put the lid on it. I then went to the equipment pad at the pump and using a cone shaped attachment, managed to blow the main drain quite easily as well (lots of air bubbles)and quickly closed the pipe off, blocking in the air. I then blew the rest of the line, letting the air go into the return, filter and heater and slide and then opened the drain plugs, letting the air help blow out the water. I set the filter on "Winter", removed the blue discharge hose and put it all into the skimmer basket and into my pool shed. I felt like patting myself on the back for getting this accomplished. Please tell me if it all sounds right so i will sleep soundly tonight! I also managed to solve the problem of my automatic cover dragging and not closing completely once the water level was lowered. To cover the gap between the cover and the pool wall, i just inserted my grandkids' NOODLES!

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Re: FOURTH plea for IG closing Help!!!!!!!

I felt like patting myself on the back for getting this accomplished. Please tell me if it all sounds right so i will sleep soundly tonight! I also managed to solve the problem of my automatic cover dragging and not closing completely once the water level was lowered. To cover the gap between the cover and the pool wall, i just inserted my grandkids' NOODLES!

I don't know if its right but you should pat yourself on the back for taking the inititive and coming up with solutions on your own... great job!

 

[h2ctpdjl]

Re: FOURTH plea for IG closing Help!!!!!!!

Thanks frustratedpoolmom. I just hope someone will come on here and tell me if I did it right so I can rest at ease.