Help winterizing spa step and main drain.

[jonascc]

I am a new unground pool owner and feel pretty comfortable winterizing my pool reading the multiple articles here on this forum and watching some videos. However, i have a few areas of concern that I have been unlucky finding information on and can use the communities help. I will post pictures following the questions.

First, I have a main drain that the pool builder installed with a few check valves and what appears to be a service side that has a plug. The check valve on the service side allows flow down and the other check valve allows flow up. My assumption is if i close the valve going to the pump, i should be able to remove the plug and blow out the main drain and the check valve on the service side should airlock it until i secure the plug. Am I on the right track with that assumption or is that designed to put RV antifreeze?

Second, I have a spa step with 5 jets and another port at the very top that I have no idea what it is for. For closing I was going to blow air through the jets and close one jet at a time and then open the top port and close it if no water is coming out. Is closing the jets sufficient or should i be putting another device or plug on jet? Does anyone know what the screw on plug at the top of the spa steps is for? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

 

[jonascc]

Some pictures didn't upload. Standby for more pics

 

[jonascc]

 

[mknauss]

What you are pointing at appears to be the air inlet for the spa jets in that area of the pool. When those jets are running, you can turn the cover of the inlet to allow more or less air into the stream coming from the jets.

I would assume that you would follow normal closing practices for the returns that can be submerged later in winter. The air inlet may or may not need to be plugged.

Let's ask @Catanzaro and/or @ajw22 their input as they close pools, I do not.

 

[jonascc]

That makes sense. Thanks for identifying the air inlet.

 

[Catanzaro]

I will need pictures of the plumbing and equipment pad before I can recommend on how to clear the main drain and the returns, etc.

 

[jonascc]

 

[Catanzaro]

Your pump has different types of areas inside the housing basket. See if you can install a winter plug on the return side, and suction side. This way you can isolate the areas. The only way to do this is with an air compressor and an NPT fitting. Drain the water first completely. Close the main drain and then work on the skimmers. Make sure you have a helper to shut off the air compressor. Then turn the shut-off valve towards the skimmer so air does not travel to the skimmer as you are trying to close the main drain. I do not see the spa suction side. You have unions that you can work with as well. Isolating the areas you work with is key, especially with an air compressor. The only other option is a Cyclone and modified cover, which never fails.

Remember, the key to all this is to move water with air through the plumbing and either install a winter plug or an "air/lock" for the areas where a plug can not be used. My friend had a similar design, and we were successful with only a small compressor. The deep end was only 4 feet. When clearing the main drain, if you see bubbles come out, this is sufficient enough. You do not have to have a whirlpool. You can always vacuum the water out of the skimmer while air is moving it back out. However, you need to drain the water below the skimmer.

You can always close off all the returns and leave the last return open with a winter plug if using an air compressor. This will help get the water out of the system, and then go back and remove the first plug, and reinstall the plugs, and keep going. You have to be quick about this and do not over-tighten the plugs in the beginning, just enough to hold them. You should be able to pull this off with the air compressor. Low pressure, under 15 ft. lbs. is fine. A lot of times you will have to adjust the output because as soon as it turns on, you will lose all your pressure. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[jonascc]

Thanks for the advice. I’ll give it a shot.

 

[jonascc]

So I was able to figure most of it out. Since the compressor would not work with my system because of the check valve on the main drain, I opted to remove the pump and filter for storage indoors which gave me access to install a blower on the suction and return sides. My only two concerns was the spa jets and the main drain.

For the spa I found a video on YouTube that explained how the jets operate. When turning the jets counterclockwise to open they will reach and internal stop. Continuing to turn them counterclockwise past the stop allows you to remove them which allowed me to install a #11 plug in all the jets.

For the main drain, I had no choice but to use the service port because of the inline check valve. I used a blower with a rigid adapter that allowed me to put a smaller pipe on it to push the check valve open while sealing around the top. I pushed air through the main drain for several minutes. This is where I am unsure if I did something wrong. While watching the air go through the drain it got to a point where no air was coming through. I couldn’t see any more air bubbles. I expected air to continue until I closed the valve. So I don’t know if the blower got to the point where it didn’t have enough power to overcome the pressure of the water since the equipment pad sits higher than the pool or if something else happened. I pulled the adapter up and allowed the check valve to close air locking the system and plugged the line. I tried it again the next day and same thing, no air bubbles.

Any thoughts @Catanzaro on what I observed with the main drain?