First time Winterizing -- Freeze zone

[MoonHen92]

Is it necessary to drain below the return? Seems like an awful lot of water....

 

[MoonHen92]

Is it necessary to drain below the return? Seems like an awful lot of water....

To clarify, I have a skimmer plate that is covering the skimmer and a plug for the return. I read pool school which recommends draining 6 inches below but I was not sure if that was referring to pool owners who use a skimmer plate because the next bullet in pool school says its a personal choice to leave them open. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[samt]

No, When they bubble just plug them. Some covers, like loop loc have a distance not to exceed. I don't remember, it's either 15 or 18 "

 

[JoeSelf]

No, if you door closes off from the inside of the pool and the return is plugged. This is the first year of draining down for me. High CYA. If you cover make sure that there is some pillow or floats to allow for ice expansion.