Hi all,
Will soon be closing the pool at the house I recently bought for the first time, I live in the northeast, it freezes hard here, hence I want to make sure I'm doing this right. I've been doing a lot of reading and googling but I can't find a comprehensive guide that covers all aspects for my exact situation, so I've been stitching pieces together from here and there, and I'd like people to comment to make sure I've got a good cohesive plan.
Pool info:
Approx. 24,000 gallons
Inground, vinyl lined
Two returns in pool
One skimmer and one bottom drain in the deep end
Skimmer and bottom drain have a 3-way valve right before the pump to select which is open
Solar heater panels on roof of house
Sand filter
Safety cover is mesh, with the pop up anchors in concrete deck
So, here's my plan:
1) Shock the pool one last time, get it totally clean and leaf-free
2) Drain sand filter, disconnect pump, store pump inside for winter
3) Pull solar panels off roof, store inside for winter
4) Use shop vac or leaf blower to get water out of return lines. Cap lines while air is moving to keep them free of water. Leave pump end of return lines open but protected by a loose cap
5) Set suction side valve to skimmer only, use shop vac to blow water out of skimmer line. Fit Gizzmo plug into skimmer. First question: Do I try to fill the skimmer line with antifreeze?
6) Not really sure what to do with bottom drain. Blow it free, then slam the valve shut and hope it stays full of air? Try to pour antifreeze in, even though it's already full of water? Do some magic secret process I haven't yet discovered in google? Leave it full of water and hope the ice expands up and downwards enough not to crack it?
7) Leave water level in pool as-is (is that correct? Some google results talk about lowering water level but it's not clear if that's only for certain cover types)
8) Raise pop up anchors, fit pool cover
9) Call physical therapist, because my back probably hurts by now
Any thoughts? The bottom drain has me nervous. I can't think of a reliable way to protect the line to it. There are two complicating factors. One, the valve and pump sit below water level, so just leaving the valve open isn't exactly feasible since the pool would drain down through it. Two, the valve has a slow leak, such that even if you shut it, you get some water trickling out. It's basically impossible to fix without partly draining the pool, since it's below water level. The prior owner had fitted a temporary length of pipe, sticking straight up in the air, to extend the suction line (that would have connected to the pump) above the pool water level, and then he had apparently filled this with antifreeze, because that's how I found the pool when I opened it after buying the house. I just can't imagine that's reliable, since the antifreeze would potentially just mix with the pool water through the open bottom drain.
Will soon be closing the pool at the house I recently bought for the first time, I live in the northeast, it freezes hard here, hence I want to make sure I'm doing this right. I've been doing a lot of reading and googling but I can't find a comprehensive guide that covers all aspects for my exact situation, so I've been stitching pieces together from here and there, and I'd like people to comment to make sure I've got a good cohesive plan.
Pool info:
Approx. 24,000 gallons
Inground, vinyl lined
Two returns in pool
One skimmer and one bottom drain in the deep end
Skimmer and bottom drain have a 3-way valve right before the pump to select which is open
Solar heater panels on roof of house
Sand filter
Safety cover is mesh, with the pop up anchors in concrete deck
So, here's my plan:
1) Shock the pool one last time, get it totally clean and leaf-free
2) Drain sand filter, disconnect pump, store pump inside for winter
3) Pull solar panels off roof, store inside for winter
4) Use shop vac or leaf blower to get water out of return lines. Cap lines while air is moving to keep them free of water. Leave pump end of return lines open but protected by a loose cap
5) Set suction side valve to skimmer only, use shop vac to blow water out of skimmer line. Fit Gizzmo plug into skimmer. First question: Do I try to fill the skimmer line with antifreeze?
6) Not really sure what to do with bottom drain. Blow it free, then slam the valve shut and hope it stays full of air? Try to pour antifreeze in, even though it's already full of water? Do some magic secret process I haven't yet discovered in google? Leave it full of water and hope the ice expands up and downwards enough not to crack it?
7) Leave water level in pool as-is (is that correct? Some google results talk about lowering water level but it's not clear if that's only for certain cover types)
8) Raise pop up anchors, fit pool cover
9) Call physical therapist, because my back probably hurts by now
Any thoughts? The bottom drain has me nervous. I can't think of a reliable way to protect the line to it. There are two complicating factors. One, the valve and pump sit below water level, so just leaving the valve open isn't exactly feasible since the pool would drain down through it. Two, the valve has a slow leak, such that even if you shut it, you get some water trickling out. It's basically impossible to fix without partly draining the pool, since it's below water level. The prior owner had fitted a temporary length of pipe, sticking straight up in the air, to extend the suction line (that would have connected to the pump) above the pool water level, and then he had apparently filled this with antifreeze, because that's how I found the pool when I opened it after buying the house. I just can't imagine that's reliable, since the antifreeze would potentially just mix with the pool water through the open bottom drain.
