This is my first time winterizing our in-ground pool. I've read many many articles and forum posts on this topic for the fear that I may overlook something and end up damage the equipment or the underground piping. I have a Freeman 1.5 HP / 6 gallon compressor, a 3.5 HP Shop-Vac, and a Sun Joe 155 MPH/200 CFM leaf blower. None is particularly powerful. Some say that a leaf blower may be sufficient, but I couldn't have a good seal when attaching the square-shaped outlet (with the tube already taken out) to the skimmer inlet.
The previous owner left an adapter that attaches to the skimmer inlet and a vacuum hose. However, it looks like the blower side of my Shop-Vac has a small hole just below the hose attachment point. It does not appear to be a defect but some sort of a safety relief hole by design. I guess the plastic body of this particular Shop-Vac model isn't built to withstand pressure. Has anyone using Shop-Vac experienced similar issues?
For now it looks like that our only option is to use the compressor. Even though it may not have enough air volume, there won't be a continuous water volume remaining in the pipe as long as the compressor can build up enough pressure to counteract the depth of the water, which should be good enough for winterization purposes. Many say that we should use 20--25 psi, but the user manual of our Hayward Super Pump has this warning: "Purging the system with compressed air can cause components to explode, with risk of severe injury or death. To avoid, do not purge the system with compressed air. Use only a low pressure (below 5 PSI), high volume blower when air purging the pump, filter, or piping." So for our system, should I just use 5 psi and wait long enough until air comes out of the other end?
The previous owner left an adapter that attaches to the skimmer inlet and a vacuum hose. However, it looks like the blower side of my Shop-Vac has a small hole just below the hose attachment point. It does not appear to be a defect but some sort of a safety relief hole by design. I guess the plastic body of this particular Shop-Vac model isn't built to withstand pressure. Has anyone using Shop-Vac experienced similar issues?
For now it looks like that our only option is to use the compressor. Even though it may not have enough air volume, there won't be a continuous water volume remaining in the pipe as long as the compressor can build up enough pressure to counteract the depth of the water, which should be good enough for winterization purposes. Many say that we should use 20--25 psi, but the user manual of our Hayward Super Pump has this warning: "Purging the system with compressed air can cause components to explode, with risk of severe injury or death. To avoid, do not purge the system with compressed air. Use only a low pressure (below 5 PSI), high volume blower when air purging the pump, filter, or piping." So for our system, should I just use 5 psi and wait long enough until air comes out of the other end?