Above ground pool: how to plug the lines

[jblatham]

I am new to pool ownership as of 2 weeks ago, so please forgive the total newbie question.

Local building code requires that the pool have a water bond, which was not initially installed when the pool was put in. I ordered one that goes into the drain plug of the filter pump. I'm at a little bit of a loss how to get this thing in. As soon as I open either the drain plug or the filter basket to get the parts in there, because the skimmer's full of water, it starts draining down the hose and gushing out the opening. Should I have had some kind of valve installed between the skimmer and the hose that then goes to the pump? If not, how do I plug the skimmer so I can actually open up the pool pump? It occurs to me I'm going to have the same problem when I try to clean my filter cartridge or the pump basket, so I know that there has to be some kind of straightforward solution here.

What about on the return side? Presently, the output of my filter goes through a hose to a Hayward RJ (return jet) SWG and into the pool. Should there be a valve in there somewhere?

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
You are correct, a valve between your skimmer and pump and another one between the pool and the SWCG would be a very good idea! I believe to roughly plug the flow you can try a tennis ball or even a potato! Just jam it in the inlet/outlet so you can work on the equipment.
Let's ask @zea3 and @kimkats for some advice.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry and consider reviewing the entire Pool School eBook.

 

[zea3]

The pipe opening at the bottom of the skimmer is usually threaded, so you can go to the local hardware store and get a 11/2" pvc drain plug and screw it in place. You should also be able to unscrew the eye fitting in the return and screw in a plug there as well. You will lose the water that is trapped between the pump and filter but it is a lot less than fighting the open flow without a plug!
If the openings are not threaded you can use a rubber expansion plug instead. You can feel down in the skimmer pipe opening when the pump is off and see if it is threaded or not. A good future project would be to hard plumb the pool with ball valve unions on the skimmer line and return line. Makes winterizing and working on equipment much easier.

 

[kimkats]

I made sure valves were put in right before my return and skimmer. That way I could just shut them to work on the equipment. I also have unions so I could work on my filter as needed.

Another thing I also did was put pavers under my return and skimmer for the times it overflows from rain or me forgetting to turn the hose of again I put the pavers right by the wall but not touching. I made sure it has a slight slope so the water was sent away from the pool to reduce the risk of washing the sand from under the pool.

Kim