Main Drain Air Lock

[JPMorgan]

I'm looking for advice from someone with experience doing an air lock on the main drain. I am doing this when I close this year. My pool has the main drain line coming from the bottom of the pool into the skimmer. I installed the proper plug in the skimmer and then let the compressor rise to about 60-80 lbs of pressure. I then put air in the line and waited until I saw bubbles coming from the main drain (which took about 10-15 seconds). After I started seeing bubbles I continued putting air in the line for about 20-30 seconds. Does that sound about right?

 

[cowboycasey]

From everything I have read that is exactly the way people are doing it

 

[1Sammy]

I'm looking for advice from someone with experience doing an air lock on the main drain. I am doing this when I close this year. My pool has the main drain line coming from the bottom of the pool into the skimmer. I installed the proper plug in the skimmer and then let the compressor rise to about 60-80 lbs of pressure. I then put air in the line and waited until I saw bubbles coming from the main drain (which took about 10-15 seconds). After I started seeing bubbles I continued putting air in the line for about 20-30 seconds. Does that sound about right?

And then what did you do ?

 

[JPMorgan]

Nothing else after that.... just put the cap back on the air valve in the winter plug and put some anti-freeze in the skimmer along with a half full bottle of anti-freeze to protect the skimmer.

 

[1Sammy]

Nothing else after that.... just put the cap back on the air valve in the winter plug and put some anti-freeze in the skimmer along with a half full bottle of anti-freeze to protect the skimmer.

ok got ya. I thought you were like Flash Gordon and removed the air plug real quick and put in a plug. Watch for very small bubble around your plug / air valve as lots of pressure down there trying to get out now and a very small leak can push out all your air over the closed months which will let the water level rise.

 

[JPMorgan]

I do check for air bubbles coming from the plug in the main drain line to make sure I have a good seal after I have pumped air in the line. I'm assuming everything is good if I don't see any bubbles at that point. I rarely check it after I have closed. Should I keep checking for air bubbles throughout the fall, i.e. weekly? (If I did spring an air leak, I'd have to catch it before all the air leaked out. I'm guessing that could happen fairly quickly, however, and then I wouldn't really know if I still had a good seal or if all the air had leaked out.)

 

[1Sammy]

You can look every day and never time it correctly to see any air bubbles. That is why i like to use foam rope when possible.