Hey all, have a few questions before I attempt my first closing this weekend:
1) 'm wondering what the recommended chemical levels are for closing (with a vinyl liner). I went to a free "pool closing seminar" at the local pool shop put on by their chem supplier, which was interesting but obviously they were trying to sell their products as well, so I'm somewhat critical of their recommendations. One that did seem to make sense was that they suggest raising the PH slightly above "normal" levels as too much acidity in the pool can cause the liner to swell and wrinkle (and they included several photos of pools they have seen where this occurred, including one where the liner had been in for less than a year). I don't recall seeing this, or anything come to think of it that specifically talks about closing levels vs normal levels for chems - so wondering what people's thoughts are on that.
2) How should I winterize the pool pump? also in the above mentioned seminar they suggested filling it with antifreeze to keep the shaft seals from drying out. They said that if you simply drain the water out that will prevent freeze damage of course, but that the seals can lose their flexibility if they remain dry too long. This also seemed logical but thought I'd check if others were of a similar mind
3) is there any consensus on how low I drain the water? it seems everyone suggests below the skimmer, but I see various opinions on whether to go below the returns or not. It seems going below the returns is certainly EASIER from the perspective of ensuring they are completely blown out, otherwise, if I understand right, you're basically trying to put a plug in a hole that has air blowing out of it. It seems to me that no matter how fast and accurate you are, you're inevitably going to have some water that leaks back in as you're getting the plug in. The "Pool School" page on closing an IG does mention draining below the returns.
4) the lights - I know that the previous owners (and the pool company who used to do closings) would remove the lights and sink them to the bottom via old bleach bottles filled with rocks. that makes sense in the shallow end, but in the deep end I'm wondering if it goes all the way to the bottom? the pool angles in towards the deep end (it's not a 90 degree corner at the bottom, more like a 45), so I can't imagine dropping it down and having it slide along the angled bottom - but if not, can it just hang with the weight attached? I have never taken the lights off before so I'm not sure how they're set up. if it's just a cable I wouldn't want to put tension on it all winter, but if there's usually some kind of tether then it seems fine. I guess I'll find out when I take them off, but thought I'd ask in case others do this
5) Lastly, I know I've posted this before, but I'm still stuck on the concept of blowing out the main drain (and incidentally, at the seminar I mentioned above, the local pool company said they never blow out main drains in the last 40 years of operation and have never seen damage caused by freezing - EXCEPT in the skimmer; particularly in above ground pools). Mind you, where I live our winters are fairly mild, with average temps probably around 25-35, and only a week or two where a cold spell drops to around 0 (if ever).
In any case, I will probably attempt the main drain with my shop vac if it's powerful enough, so I want to make sure I understand: The skimmer and main drain lines connect to a 3-way jandy valve, which then goes to the pump inlet. So I set the valve to the main drain side, and connect the shop vac (or air compressor or whatever) to the line that would connect to the pump inlet, correct? I blow air until it bubbles from the drain, then close the valve (turn it to the skimmer side, which will have a plug at the bottom of the basket so water shouldn't be in that line anyway, right?). Done? Does the Jandy valve seal airtight enough to maintain enough air pressure all winter long? It seems unlikely - I don't believe they are designed with maintaining air pressure in mind.
6) Oh - one last thing, I used to have a "Lock-in" style pool cover, kind of like this: https://www.poolsuppliescanada.ca/images/templates/liclanding/custom.jpg until a mouse decided to burrow through the entire roll and nest in the middle. Rather than spend $600 this year on a replacement, I bought a simple rectangular 40' x 25' tarp that I plan to lay over top and weigh down around the edges with whatever I can find, and probably add a few ropes tying the corners and edges to the fence posts around the pool. is that sufficient? I don't know how others cover their IG pools so I really have no idea.
1) 'm wondering what the recommended chemical levels are for closing (with a vinyl liner). I went to a free "pool closing seminar" at the local pool shop put on by their chem supplier, which was interesting but obviously they were trying to sell their products as well, so I'm somewhat critical of their recommendations. One that did seem to make sense was that they suggest raising the PH slightly above "normal" levels as too much acidity in the pool can cause the liner to swell and wrinkle (and they included several photos of pools they have seen where this occurred, including one where the liner had been in for less than a year). I don't recall seeing this, or anything come to think of it that specifically talks about closing levels vs normal levels for chems - so wondering what people's thoughts are on that.
2) How should I winterize the pool pump? also in the above mentioned seminar they suggested filling it with antifreeze to keep the shaft seals from drying out. They said that if you simply drain the water out that will prevent freeze damage of course, but that the seals can lose their flexibility if they remain dry too long. This also seemed logical but thought I'd check if others were of a similar mind
3) is there any consensus on how low I drain the water? it seems everyone suggests below the skimmer, but I see various opinions on whether to go below the returns or not. It seems going below the returns is certainly EASIER from the perspective of ensuring they are completely blown out, otherwise, if I understand right, you're basically trying to put a plug in a hole that has air blowing out of it. It seems to me that no matter how fast and accurate you are, you're inevitably going to have some water that leaks back in as you're getting the plug in. The "Pool School" page on closing an IG does mention draining below the returns.
4) the lights - I know that the previous owners (and the pool company who used to do closings) would remove the lights and sink them to the bottom via old bleach bottles filled with rocks. that makes sense in the shallow end, but in the deep end I'm wondering if it goes all the way to the bottom? the pool angles in towards the deep end (it's not a 90 degree corner at the bottom, more like a 45), so I can't imagine dropping it down and having it slide along the angled bottom - but if not, can it just hang with the weight attached? I have never taken the lights off before so I'm not sure how they're set up. if it's just a cable I wouldn't want to put tension on it all winter, but if there's usually some kind of tether then it seems fine. I guess I'll find out when I take them off, but thought I'd ask in case others do this
5) Lastly, I know I've posted this before, but I'm still stuck on the concept of blowing out the main drain (and incidentally, at the seminar I mentioned above, the local pool company said they never blow out main drains in the last 40 years of operation and have never seen damage caused by freezing - EXCEPT in the skimmer; particularly in above ground pools). Mind you, where I live our winters are fairly mild, with average temps probably around 25-35, and only a week or two where a cold spell drops to around 0 (if ever).
In any case, I will probably attempt the main drain with my shop vac if it's powerful enough, so I want to make sure I understand: The skimmer and main drain lines connect to a 3-way jandy valve, which then goes to the pump inlet. So I set the valve to the main drain side, and connect the shop vac (or air compressor or whatever) to the line that would connect to the pump inlet, correct? I blow air until it bubbles from the drain, then close the valve (turn it to the skimmer side, which will have a plug at the bottom of the basket so water shouldn't be in that line anyway, right?). Done? Does the Jandy valve seal airtight enough to maintain enough air pressure all winter long? It seems unlikely - I don't believe they are designed with maintaining air pressure in mind.
6) Oh - one last thing, I used to have a "Lock-in" style pool cover, kind of like this: https://www.poolsuppliescanada.ca/images/templates/liclanding/custom.jpg until a mouse decided to burrow through the entire roll and nest in the middle. Rather than spend $600 this year on a replacement, I bought a simple rectangular 40' x 25' tarp that I plan to lay over top and weigh down around the edges with whatever I can find, and probably add a few ropes tying the corners and edges to the fence posts around the pool. is that sufficient? I don't know how others cover their IG pools so I really have no idea.
