I'm looking at closing my pool myself for the first time, as the local company charges $425 and last year when I opened the PVC pipe coming from my filter was cracked so I suspect they didn't do the best job. I've read the sticky at the top of this section and the guide that's on the site but I still have some questions around how to blow out my lines. I'm fully prepared to purchase a cyclone as in one year of doing it myself I'm already ahead vs paying a company. I've been opening myself for the last few years, completed a pump motor replacement and recently fixed a roll out issue with my heater so I have some confidence that I can do it. I'm located in PA just outside of Philadelphia, so do get some cold weather throughout the winter.
Where I'm confused is how to blow out my lines and part of that comes from my setup. On the suction side, I have one 3-way valve heading into the pump with one coming from the pool and one coming from the spa. I have one main floor drain and one skimmer that both feed into the pump from the pool side. From reading through the sticky I believe I have an old style Anthony skimmer as I have the diverter (Inground Pool Skimmer Plumbing Diagrams | InTheSwim Pool Blog). I'm envisioning that I'll attach the cyclone to the incoming side of the pump, turn the 3 way valve so that air goes to the pool to blow out the skimmer and main drain. I'm a bit confused on the old sytle anthony skimmer, blow it out as I've described, then put the extended #8 in, continue to blow out the main drain then put the plug for the top of the skimmer in? Then turn the 3 way valve to the spa to blow that out? Finally shove a plug into the pump side quickly after removing the cyclone?
For blowing out the returns, turn the cyclone to the other side of the pump and blow through the filter, heater, and returns? Remove the plugs for the heater and pump before doing all of this? I have no unions, which is making this different from other discussions and videos that I've seen.
Where I'm confused is how to blow out my lines and part of that comes from my setup. On the suction side, I have one 3-way valve heading into the pump with one coming from the pool and one coming from the spa. I have one main floor drain and one skimmer that both feed into the pump from the pool side. From reading through the sticky I believe I have an old style Anthony skimmer as I have the diverter (Inground Pool Skimmer Plumbing Diagrams | InTheSwim Pool Blog). I'm envisioning that I'll attach the cyclone to the incoming side of the pump, turn the 3 way valve so that air goes to the pool to blow out the skimmer and main drain. I'm a bit confused on the old sytle anthony skimmer, blow it out as I've described, then put the extended #8 in, continue to blow out the main drain then put the plug for the top of the skimmer in? Then turn the 3 way valve to the spa to blow that out? Finally shove a plug into the pump side quickly after removing the cyclone?
For blowing out the returns, turn the cyclone to the other side of the pump and blow through the filter, heater, and returns? Remove the plugs for the heater and pump before doing all of this? I have no unions, which is making this different from other discussions and videos that I've seen.
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