For years I have been opening and closing my pool on my own expect for blowing the lines out at closing. This year I have decided to pick up a cyclone blower and start blowing my lines out myself. I have a double main drain, 2 skimmers (shallow end and deep end) and 4 returns. Does anyone have a recommendation on the easiest way to blow my lines out? The pool company in the past have done it all from the skimmers but I wasn’t sure if I should do the same based on my equipment pad picture attached( please note this is a view of it closed.). I have seen some people removing the pump and blowing from the opening there as opposed to from the skimmers. Thanks in advance.
First Time Doing a Full Close
- Thread starter Burtonjeeplj
- Start date
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,050
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I bring my pump and SWG inside so it's already convenient. If you'd rather leave everything together:
1) put the MPV on recirculate and blow one skimmer all the way though the system.
2) Then blow the other skimmer all the way through the system.
3) Use a bendy funnel to get RV antifreeze in the returns (a gallon each) and plug them.
4) add 1 gal antifreeze to a skimmer pipe and insert gizzmo in skimmer.
5) Blow the main drain through the other skimmer (as the 3 other openings are now plugged). While bubbles are coming out the drain, Air lock the main drain valve closed.
6) remove cyclone, add 1 gallon antifreeze and gizzmo to that skimmer pipe.
7) pull equipment drain plugs
8) take DE grids out, clean them and let them dry completely. (Can be another day)
9) cover pool.
Here's mine last year
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
Thank you for the great info, I always drop the water below my skimmers but not below my returns because I’ve always been afraid of what it will do to my liner do to how low they are on the pool wall. With that being said, would I still funnel rv antifreeze into each return as they will be under water?I bring my pump and SWG inside so it's already convenient. If you'd rather leave everything together:
1) put the MPV on recirculate and blow one skimmer all the way though the system.
2) Then blow the other skimmer all the way through the system.
3) Use a bendy funnel to get RV antifreeze in the returns (a gallon each) and plug them.
4) add 1 gal antifreeze to a skimmer pipe and insert gizzmo in skimmer.
5) Blow the main drain through the other skimmer (as the 3 other openings are now plugged). While bubbles are coming out the drain, Air lock the main drain valve closed.
6) remove cyclone, add 1 gallon antifreeze and gizzmo to that skimmer pipe.
7) pull equipment drain plugs
8) take DE grids out, clean them and let them dry completely. (Can be another day)
9) cover pool.
Here's mine last year
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...
How low we talking ? I'm all but sure they're standard depth.
Is your cover solid or mesh ?
You couldn't as pool water would rush in too.
But you can pull the swg and bendy funnel it there. It should be downhill to the area below the returns so it will collect in the deepest area, which is where any water/condensation will collect also.
I have a mesh cover…..I think one year I was lowering the water and it started getting close to my returns and it looked like some of my liner was pulling away so I stopped…I’m sure I was just being way too over cautious but I was also told by the pool company that use to blow the lines not to worry about getting it below the returns as well.
Do you drain over the winter or just let it fill up ? We get way more over the off season than you lower to start.
So it's overflowing then. Thats no Bueno as if you have never seen it leave, it's probably undermining your patio. We get about 3 ft of off season rain /melted snow. Do that math on how much water is finding its own way out. 
I can omly drain a foot now with a bench so I start a foot low, and drain another foot at 1/3 and 2/3 winter, cold weather / ice depending. I'll try and drain right before a big freeze to buy the next month frozen.
I can omly drain a foot now with a bench so I start a foot low, and drain another foot at 1/3 and 2/3 winter, cold weather / ice depending. I'll try and drain right before a big freeze to buy the next month frozen.
I drain as much as I do at closing because my stairs are built in. And now that I think of it 2 out of my 4 returns are on the stairs so those are above water after draining. Then I have 1 on one of the shallow end walls and the other in the deep end.So it's overflowing then. Thats no Bueno as if you have never seen it leave, it's probably undermining your patio. We get about 3 ft of off season rain /melted snow. Do that math on how much water is finding its own way out.
I can omly drain a foot now with a bench so I start a foot low, and drain another foot at 1/3 and 2/3 winter, cold weather / ice depending. I'll try and drain right before a big freeze to buy the next month frozen.
Keep an eye on it over the winter. I got a cousin of this 1.6 HP Pump for under $100. I use a 1 inch backwash hose because I had it laying around. When it dies I'll get 1.5 inch and drain even faster.
It's easy to pop a corner and pump.
It's easy to pop a corner and pump.
Quick follow up as I am getting close to closing. I know that the MD and skimmer valves should be closed for the winter after blowing them out but should I also close the return lines valve as well? From my initial picture the return valve has been left open in the past.
Half a dozen or six. The gizmos and return plugs make the system a closed loop. Whether or not you close the middle of it isn't going to matter.
The MD valve on the other hand needs to be closed because the other end (drain) is open.
The MD valve on the other hand needs to be closed because the other end (drain) is open.
Finally got everything closed up yesterday. I ended up making pvc extensions for the lower returns to allow for them to be blown out at the skimmer and antifreeze added (thanks youtube). Big thank you to @Newdude for all your help.
Attachments
I don't like the pipes. The ice rink will have a good hold of them and if it shifts any as it thaws, it could wreck the return pipe. I'd blown again and cap them with air shooting out, or use blow through bungee plugs.
I didn’t leave them in, I only attached them to blow out and add antifreeze to. I quickly removed them as they are and capped them with the standard threaded return plugs.
I'm sorry. I hate to nitpick when you did GREAT. But were the pipes capped/closed at the pad when removing the extension pipes ? If so they were air locked like the drains and not much made it in. If they were open it only takes 2 seconds to fully fill the pipes again.
They were air locked like the drains. No worries at all, I appreciate any and all help.