Can't seem to blow out main drain - is it that important?

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Aeromotive

New member
Oct 19, 2024
2
QC
Hello all,

After trying to hire local companies to open/close our pool and being met with unprofessional and unreliable people, I gave up and thought I'd close the pool myself.

Long story short : I watched many tutorials and read plenty of threads here. Everything is set up, lines are blown out, plugged and have anti-freeze. Disclaimer : I have a spillover spa (which I hate), if that matters.

The culprit is the main drain : It's approximately 80ft away from the pad (7 ft deep) and I absolutely can't blow it out (tried shopvac and pancake compressor using the 1/4" hose to blow through the pump up to 40 psi). I was told it's not the end of the world if the main drain is not blown out and I don't know what to think about it. Some relatives only shove a ton of anti-freeze in there and call it a day.

Is it reasonable to just push the water deeper in that pipe (without necessarily seeing bubbles... not knowing to what extent this is working) and air-locking it? I know the Cyclone is pretty popular here, so I'm wondering if that's really my only resort?

Thanks in advance.
 
Is there any place the air could be going rather than directed down to the drain? You mention that you already have the other lines blown out and plugged, so, where else can the remainder of the air go if not to the drain line? Without knowing your plumbing setup, it's hard to get an idea of why you're having trouble. You shouldn't need anywhere NEAR 40 psi. I also use a pancake compressor and have it at the lowest possible setting. Agreed that the water won't freeze anywhere near 7 ft. down, but the thing is - where else can that water go if the drain line is filled rather than air locked after being blown out and plugged. With my setup, if I wouldn't blow the drain the water will still seek its own level and also fill up the skimmer pot and also the pipe that goes over to the skimmer. Hopefully you''l get some good suggestions here and/or finally get it to work.
 
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