I closed up my pool in sept and I did not use antifreeze

[cybernation]

i closed up my pool in sept and i did not use antifreeze in the lines i just blew out the lines and added plugs... should i fill them up with anti-freeze now? i'm in orillia, ontario, canada and sometimes we see temps down to -30 c..

Would it be stupid not to put the antifreeze in?

How do you take it out in the spring?

Also, there's quite a bit of water on top of the cover & leaves. Should i be cleaning the winter cover off often?

Thanks!

 

[cybernation]

i would also like to add that i drained the pool 4-6" below the jets, and my pool cover is on the very edge of the pool.. i'm wondering if the cover isn't big enough or i drained it too much.

 

[JasonLion]

Anti-freeze is a great idea in that climate. You don't strictly need it unless something else goes wrong, but something often does. You don't need to fill the pipes, just one gallon for each ten feet or fifteen feet of pipe should be plenty. Make sure you use swimming pool or RV anti-freeze, they are non-toxic and if some (or most) of it gets into the pool it isn't a problem.

Generally you start the system up on backwash in the spring, which will get out most of the anti-freeze. Some will get into the pool, but that is fine.

An inch or two of water on the cover is fine, lots and lots of water on the cover can be a problem. If there is too much water on the cover it can push the pool water up the walls and into the skimmer, which can cause problems. You don't need to clean the cover constantly, but don't let too much accumulate on it.

The cover only needs six to eight inches on the deck, so there is room to put down water bags (or something similar) to hold it in place. If you don't have even six inches there could be problems.

 

[cybernation]

ok. I also left the ballcock valve attached to the underground pipe.. should i remove it as well? i tried to remove it but it would not budge..

i'll be adding the antifreeze this weekend. Does it matter which pipe it goes into? or do i have to put it into the jets?

Cheers!

 

[JasonLion]

How exactly you add anti-freeze depends on how your plumbing is done. Generally you want to get some into each pipe between the pool and the equipment pad. Often that means some into each skimmer and some into one or more of the returns, but the details vary from pool to pool.