First time Closing ourselves - help! feedback on my planned steps pls

[patplh]

First, thanks in advance for clicking on my post. Really Appreciate any feedback you can provide.
Thanks to TFP, I have been opening the pool myself since we bought our house/pool 15 years ago. I am pretty familiar with our equipment, having made several upgrades/changes over the years. But, I’ve always hired someone to close it for fear of messing things up. I've decided to finally close it myself and am hoping some of you amazing TFP experts can help me cross check the steps I came up with after looking at old pics of a closing years ago and reading up on TFP forums. I'm in Massachusetts btw.

From all the closings I’ve witnessed, the professionals have always blown out lines from the skimmer, so I'm hoping to do the same.

My Set Up:
How Water gets into the pool: 4 Returns in wall; 1 Waterfall; 2 In-Floor Cleaners by the main drain (basically they are returns in the floor)
How Water leaves pool: 2 Skimmers; 1 Main Drain
Multivalve options: Closed, Waste, Filter, Rinse, Recirculate, Backwash
Three Jandy Valves: 1) Main Drain AND/OR Skimmer; 2) Wall Returns AND/OR In-Floor Cleaner; 3) Waterfall On OR Off
Extras: Electric Heater and Salt Water Generator

Steps:

1. Prep:
   1. Set multiport to Waste to bring water to below the returns (bring pool chlorine to shock level)
   2. Set multiport to Recirculate
   3. Set Waterfall Jandy valve to Closed
   4. Set Returns/InFloor Cleaner Jandy valve to Returns only
2. Blow out secondary Skimmer (the skimmer that is further from equipment pad):
   1. Set Main Drain/Skimmer Jandy valve to Skimmer only
   2. Plug Main Skimmer (closer to equipment pad) with black rubber plug
   3. Attach Blower to other Skimmer, observe air coming out of returns for 30s or more
   4. Set Main Drain/Skimmer Jandy valve to Main Drain only to create air pocket
   5. Plug Secondary Skimmer
   6. Set Main Drain/Skimmer Jandy valve to Skimmer only
3. Blow out Returns
   1. Unplug Main Skimmer
   2. Make sure Returns/InFloor Cleaner Jandy valve is set to Returns only and Main Drain/Skimmer Jandy valve to Skimmer only
   3. Attach Blower to Main Skimmer and turn on
   4. Plug Return closest to Equipment Pad when water is sputtering out
   5. Continue blowing out the next closest Return and plug each until all 4 are plugged.
4. Blow out Waterfall
   1. Set Waterfall Jandy valve to Open
   2. Blow out Waterfall
   3. Set Waterfall Jandy valve to Closed. Do not open again until next season.
   4. Plug the Waterfall Return pipe
5. Blow out In-Floor Cleaner (aka, the returns in floor of deep end) - create Air pocket
   1. Set Returns/InFloor Cleaner Jandy valve to InFloor Cleaner only
   2. Blow out until you see bubbles come out of the In Floor Cleaner Returns
   3. Set Returns/InFloor Cleaner Jandy valve to Returns only to create air pocket. Do not open again until next season.
6. Blow out Main Drain - create Air pocket
   1. Set Main Drain/Skimmer Jandy valve to the mid-way point so both ends are open (Returns/InFloor Cleaner Jandy valve should still be set to Returns only and Waterfall Closed)
   2. Blow out until you see bubbles come out of the Main Drain
   3. Set Returns/InFloor Cleaner Jandy valve to Skimmer only to create air pocket
7. Add Anti-Freeze and plug Main Skimmer
   1. Unplug Secondary Skimmer - Add 1 gallon antifreeze; replug
   2. Unplug Main Skimmer - Add ¼ gallon antifreeze; replug
   3. Add ¾ gallon antifreeze to Pump Basket
8. Final Steps:
   1. Open DE Filter drain plug and release water
   2. Remove/Clean/Dry/Store Filter Cartridge indoors; Replace lid
   3. Remove drain plugs (2) from pool pump, put in filter basket along with Filter drain plug
   4. Put on Safety Cover
   5. Set Multivalve to Closed

Questions:

1. What changes should I make? Will this work?
2. Should I do anything special for the electric heater? It has no drain plugs and in plumbed right after the valve before the Salt Water Generator. I assume it’ll get blown out with everything else.

Thanks so much for any advice you can provide!!

 

[ajw22]

Your heater has survived this long however your pool service has been winterizing it. Continue doing that.

 

[patplh]

Your heater has survived this long however your pool service has been winterizing it. Continue doing that.

Thanks. Do you see anything wrong with the other steps? They aren't direct from our pool professionals. I came up with them after looking back at some pictures I took during a closing 14 years ago plus reading up on TFP. So I'm guessing there might be some red flags in there. Thanks again.

 

[ajw22]

Thanks. Do you see anything wrong with the other steps?

Too much there for me to digest right now.

 

[ajw22]

Show us pictures of your equipment pad to help give us context on your descriptions.

 

[patplh]

Show us pictures of your equipment pad to help give us context on your descriptions.

Hi. Here's some pictures. Let me know if i missed anything in the pictures. Thanks again

 

[patplh]

Show us pictures of your equipment pad to help give us context on your descriptions.

Hi, sorry, I know this time of year is busy for the forum, but was wondering if you had any questions about my steps. I'm very nervous about starting without getting feedback from the experts here. Thanks so much!

 

[Newdude]

What are you using for a blower ? A cyclone takes out all of the guesswork work. You shove the hose in one pipe and then a guyser shoots out somewhere else. You may hit a leg twice as you fumble through which valves do what, but you'll get them all.

I use a bendy funnel to get antifreeze in the returns and any horizontal pipes I have access to. (I take my equipment apart and bring it indoors). For me, the low spot for my returns is at the pool and it stays low until it reaches the equipment pad.



The skimmers do similar so I just dump a gallon down each once those pipes are empty.

In case it helps, here's my process which I added the shop vac to, just to see if it would work.

Closing with shop vac.

Today was the day for closing and it went great with a 6HP shop vac. I hooked my blower up for fun after, and there really wasn't much left but some spray. Anywho I wanted to do a write up for all the folks wondering if they could save a chunk of change and tackle their own closing...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[patplh]

What are you using for a blower ? A cyclone takes out all of the guesswork work. You shove the hose in one pipe and then a guyser shoots out somewhere else. You may hit a leg twice as you fumble through which valves do what, but you'll get them all.

I use a bendy funnel to get antifreeze in the returns and any horizontal pipes I have access to. (I take my equipment apart and bring it indoors). For me, the low spot for my returns is at the pool and it stays low until it reaches the equipment pad.

The skimmers do similar so I just dump a gallon down each once those pipes are empty.

In case it helps, here's my process which I added the shop vac to, just to see if it would work.

Closing with shop vac.

Today was the day for closing and it went great with a 6HP shop vac. I hooked my blower up for fun after, and there really wasn't much left but some spray. Anywho I wanted to do a write up for all the folks wondering if they could save a chunk of change and tackle their own closing...

www.troublefreepool.com

Hi, Thank you for replying - sorry, life got away from me so I'm picking this thread up again.
I ended up buying a cyclone from aliexpress (took a chance and it's legit). I bought a this adapter https://a.co/d/izG7CCh and this hose https://a.co/d/2YyBsUI. Need to buy some RV antifreeze and then I think I'm ready.
I saw you posted in another thread that you use the cyclone to close your sprinklers. Can you help me understand how you do that? Where do you connect it and what kind of connectors should I purchase? All the videos I've found use air compressors to close lawn sprinklers. Would love to use the cyclone for the sprinkler too.
Thanks so much! Patty

 

[Newdude]

I saw you posted in another thread that you use the cyclone to close your sprinklers

I don't yet but it's been said that it works well.

Where do you connect it and what kind of connectors should I purchase?

That would be system specific. Mine has a 3/4 drain faucet in the basement that I'd try first. The new sprinkler guys installed a 1 inch T at the first control valve box before it splits to all the zones so they didn't have to come inside. That would be my 2nd choice.

All the videos I've found use air compressors to close lawn sprinklers.

After moving i had my neighbor who is a landscaper come and they used a 20 ish gallon compressor and it worked but took extra time to recharge between zones. I went and bought the next bigger one from the same brand that had more CFM. I hit the 13 zones a 2nd time and it became a 4 hour project instead of 2 so while it worked, I'd like to cut that down a bunch if possible.

My original guys used the tow behind the truck compressor and were done in under an hour. Lol.