Pool closing question.

[DorsalSpine]

I don't know about a heater but I would expect it to have drain plugs. I drain the filter and pump. My DE filter has a bottom drain, the pump has two drain plugs. The filter drain has a value so I open the valve and let the filter drain while I'm blowing the lines. After that I close the valve since I don't want anything getting into the filter. I usually leave the drain plugs out of the pump. The only problem I've had with that is one year ants moved in for the winter. I had to clean the impeller and the pump housing before it would start. Did you know that some ants in Ohio can bite? Once I got the impeller to spin they all got to experience a little white water rafting.

I have unions for the skimmer and main drain where they "T" into the pump. I remove the piping, blow the lines, add the plugs and loose fit the "T" back in place to protect the plugs. The return also has a union. After I add the anti-freeze everything is loose fit back together.

 

[anthonypool89]

I guess that works like a gizzmo.

I always take one of the antifreeze gallon containers and, after emptying the contents into the lines, I put it in the skimmer as expansion material. During colder winters sometimes the ice is caked up tight all around it.

 

[Mike1162]

I have a high water table so I use an Aquador to cover the skimmer opening. Then I use a shop vac to remove water from the skimmer as a compressor blows out the line. After the line is clear I thread in a plug & pour 1/2 a gallon of antifreeze in the skimmer & screw a gizmo into the other threaded hole.

 

[pb4uswim]

Got some new equipment today.


The Cyclone came with the white attachment (on top). It’s threaded on one end and screws into the Cyclone. I also ordered the small flexible pipe (black). That just slides onto the white attachment. I’m thinking that might need a clamp to hold it on but it is pretty tight. I think I can just put the other end of the pipe into the tube (see original post) and have DW hold it there while I close off the openings after they blow out. I’ll mess with it a bit more to see how it fits.

Next step is to figure out what I need to do at the equipment pad. I know there are a few plugs I need to remove.

 

[pb4uswim]

This is a picture of my equipment pad. I’m assuming there are drain plugs on the heater and the pump. I’ll have to locate them.

 

[mknauss]

Consider reviewing --

Closing Pool for Winter - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

And joining us next Saturday

TFP Expert Discussion - Winterizing Your Pool

Come join us Saturday, August 28, 2021 at 11 am EDT/8 am PDT. Catanzaro (aka Dominic), bmoreswim (aka Kurt), jseyfert3 (aka Jonathan) and ajw22 (aka Allen) will be joining us for a discussion about Winterizing your Pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[ajw22]

This is a picture of my equipment pad. I’m assuming there are drain plugs on the heater and the pump. I’ll have to locate them.

View attachment 366699

See page 34 in https://www.hayward-pool.com/assets...as-Heaters-Installation-Operations-Manual.pdf for winterization of your Hayward heater.

Every heater manufacture has different winterization methods.

 

[pb4uswim]

In looking at my heater and pump, I find three drain plugs. Two for the heater and one on the pump.

I’ll check in on the winterizing meeting. One of my questions is whether or not to remove the SWG (guy who closed it last year did not remove it). Another question I’ll have is whether or not to take the water below the skimmer. I have a safety cover and I read once not to drain too much water because it will stretch the cover too much when the snow accumulates on it.

Thanks ajw22 for the link to the heater manual. I had another question about how much current the heater draws and was able to get my answer from the manual. There’s also a nice charge in there about balancing the water chemicals with columns that describe what will happen if you’re over or under the recommended levels. I’ll need to do some fine tuning.

 

[Newdude]

One of my questions is whether or not to remove the SWG (guy who closed it last year did not remove it

You’ll blow right through it while connected. You can choose to bring it inside because electronics, but it is weatherproof. I chose to bring mine inside because there was zero reason to leave it in a snowdrift when it came apart in 30 seconds and took just as long to plug the pipes with rubber stoppers.

Another question I’ll have is whether or not to take the water below the skimmer. I have a safety cover and I read once not to drain too much water because it will stretch the cover too much when the snow accumulates on it.

If it’s not a solid cover you’ll have to drain about 3 ft of off season rain / metered snow from the pool. With a solid cover you will have to drain the above puddle as needed. I chose to start 18 inches low and then do another 18 inches just before it froze with a 98% mesh. In the spring it was full to the brim for opening. You can do 6 inches 6 times or any maths in between. I found that 18 was my sweet spot FWIW.

Two for the heater and one on the pump

2 for the heater sounds right but most pumps have 2 or 3. At least one for the basket and one for the impeller housing. They are real easy to find, just feel around all the low spots of the sides/ bottom.

 

[pb4uswim]

It’s not a solid cover. It’s a mesh cover. Last year the guy did not lower it below the skimmer. I had to drain it once. Well, I probably didn’t have to but it was early January and the water had gotten high but it still wasn’t frozen so I took the opportunity to drain it. I don’t want the water to go above the fiberglass to the coping. I’m thinking this year to lower it below the skimmer and hope we get enough precipitation to not have it too low when it freezes.

I’ll look for more drain plugs on the pump.

 

[Newdude]

Well, I probably didn’t have to but it was early January and the water had gotten high

You probably had 2 feet worth leak out under the coping around the patio and it stayed ‘full’. Google your yearly/monthly rainfall. Most places are about 4 ft a year with the bulk of it in the off season and early spring. Last years totals will be findable and if you didn’t drain that much, the pool drained the rest.

Also, we are talking total melted precipitation and in the cold areas it’s much harder to track down. Floofy snow is about 1 inch of water for every foot of snow, but sleety ice is closer to 1:1 and heavy packing snow may be 1 inch of water per 6 inches. Many of the weather services just report, Meh. You got 10ft of snow so it was about a foot or water. It very well may have been 2 ft if they studied each storms consistency.