First time closing my pool, and this is what I did.
First I read and reread Catanzaro's thread and “closing an in ground pool”, along with watching you tube videos.
I used my air compressor and small shop vac. I also used black rubber plugs for plugging every pipe.
To blow air into the pipes, I took a black plug, drilled a small hole into it for my air nozzle to fit snugly.
Water was shocked, and lowered to just above the return's, and ran my robot to clean.
Total time was about 2.5 hours, I did everything slowly, and blew out each line twice.
I was also doing by myself, and my pad is 70 feet from my pool.
I have 2 skimmers, main drain and three return's.
I also have inlet's (equalizer's) from my pool into each of the skimmers.
All of my plumbing is 1½.
I am some what lucky as I am changing out my pump and heater in the early spring, so I cut both of them out of my system, so accessing the suction and return piping was easy. Everything was done from my pad except my equalizers.
Skimmers
Blew air into equalizers, and plugged them inside pool, then used shop vac to get remaining water out. Filled with anti-freeze, and plugged.
Plugged 2nd skimmer and starting with skimmer nearest the pad, blew air, then shop vac out water. Plugged, then went and did same with 2nd skimmer.
Repeated process, plugged lines, and poured a gallon of anti-freeze into each skimmer pipe. Put a jug of anti-freeze half filled into skimmer and filled basket with remaining anti-freeze.
Main drain
Blew air into pipe, bubbles came out and then water had a swirl to it. Ran compressor for app 3 mins, and air locked. Slight hissing from pipe, valve not holding, so repeated process, and this time also plugged end of pipe after valve.
Returns
These were a pain as they were under water, and I was by myself.
Plugged two returns and blew water into pipe. After air was coming out I slightly loosened one of the other plugs so air could escape, installed plug and tightened first return. Repeated for 2nd return.
3rd return was trickier. After air was coming out I went to pad and loosened plug that was in the pipe in hopes that when I tightened last return plug back pressure would blow out the plug. It worked, so got lucky.
Pad is uphill from pool, so poured in anti-freeze as a safe guard.
Booster line and water fill line
blew in air and plugged at pool side
Left my DE filter full of water, and will be cleaning it out this weekend.
In blowing out my skimmers, noticed a couple of tiny leaks, at one of the adapters. Guessing when I put in new heater and pump, will redo all of the plumbing, but that will be another thread
Was not as bad as I thought it would be, and guessing next time it should not take more than an hour to do.
Thanks TFP and Catanzaro
First I read and reread Catanzaro's thread and “closing an in ground pool”, along with watching you tube videos.
I used my air compressor and small shop vac. I also used black rubber plugs for plugging every pipe.
To blow air into the pipes, I took a black plug, drilled a small hole into it for my air nozzle to fit snugly.
Water was shocked, and lowered to just above the return's, and ran my robot to clean.
Total time was about 2.5 hours, I did everything slowly, and blew out each line twice.
I was also doing by myself, and my pad is 70 feet from my pool.
I have 2 skimmers, main drain and three return's.
I also have inlet's (equalizer's) from my pool into each of the skimmers.
All of my plumbing is 1½.
I am some what lucky as I am changing out my pump and heater in the early spring, so I cut both of them out of my system, so accessing the suction and return piping was easy. Everything was done from my pad except my equalizers.
Skimmers
Blew air into equalizers, and plugged them inside pool, then used shop vac to get remaining water out. Filled with anti-freeze, and plugged.
Plugged 2nd skimmer and starting with skimmer nearest the pad, blew air, then shop vac out water. Plugged, then went and did same with 2nd skimmer.
Repeated process, plugged lines, and poured a gallon of anti-freeze into each skimmer pipe. Put a jug of anti-freeze half filled into skimmer and filled basket with remaining anti-freeze.
Main drain
Blew air into pipe, bubbles came out and then water had a swirl to it. Ran compressor for app 3 mins, and air locked. Slight hissing from pipe, valve not holding, so repeated process, and this time also plugged end of pipe after valve.
Returns
These were a pain as they were under water, and I was by myself.
Plugged two returns and blew water into pipe. After air was coming out I slightly loosened one of the other plugs so air could escape, installed plug and tightened first return. Repeated for 2nd return.
3rd return was trickier. After air was coming out I went to pad and loosened plug that was in the pipe in hopes that when I tightened last return plug back pressure would blow out the plug. It worked, so got lucky.
Pad is uphill from pool, so poured in anti-freeze as a safe guard.
Booster line and water fill line
blew in air and plugged at pool side
Left my DE filter full of water, and will be cleaning it out this weekend.
In blowing out my skimmers, noticed a couple of tiny leaks, at one of the adapters. Guessing when I put in new heater and pump, will redo all of the plumbing, but that will be another thread
Was not as bad as I thought it would be, and guessing next time it should not take more than an hour to do.
Thanks TFP and Catanzaro
