Upcoming Texas freeze and sheer descents

[colonelkirby]

Next week bringing lows in the mid to upper twenties with highs above freezing. My sheer's pump has decided to start whining a good deal and has a small shaft leak. Easy enough to drain pump and open valves. Do I need to be concerned about the body of the sheers in the wall and stand pipes that feed them? If so, advice on what to do?

TIA

 

[ajw22]

The best thing is to blow air through the sheer lines to ensure there is no water in the sheer pipes or elbows.

 

[colonelkirby]

From the pump return side? Will a shop vac in reverse do anything? Don't have a cyclone.

 

[ajw22]

Do those three 2-2ay valves lead to the water features?

You can remove the diverter, blow into each pipe, and see if you can get water or air out of its water feature.

 

[colonelkirby]

Do those three 2-2ay valves lead to the water features?

You can remove the diverter, blow into each pipe, and see if you can get water or air out of its water feature.

Yes. One for each sheer. I can try that. Thanks.

 

[ajw22]

Don't use power tools to remove or install the diverter screws.

 

[colonelkirby]

Don't use power tools to remove or install the diverter screws.

Gotcha. Old school screwdriver did the trick. Need to McGyver something tho. Shop-vac hose can't bend enough to get an adequate seal. There was water all the way to the top of standpipe after the diverter valve. Was able to vac some out but very little of course. Any thoughts about somehow using a pancake air compressor and some kind of fitting?

 

[ajw22]

Some techniques are discussed in Closing Pool for Winter - Further Reading

You need air volume more than pressure to blow pipes out. Compressor give pressure, not volume. Cyclone is optimized for air volume.

 

[Newdude]

Shop-vac hose can't bend enough to get an adequate seal.

I'd pull the pump and duct tape the vac hose to the pump outlet pipe. Then cycle through the 3 valves until each stops spitting out the other end.



This is my return pipe after my equipment, but same deal.

 

[colonelkirby]

Thanks for your help fellas! In the end, I had a pool tech come out. He verified what I already knew re. motor needing replaced. Will deal with that later this spring. He also used his shop-vac to blow the sheers out and the suction line after pulling the pump. I hate paying for something I should have been able to do myself. However, the tech was a good guy and I will never have to have it done by anyone else again....

 

[Newdude]

In the end, I had a pool tech come out.

The confidence boost it gave you was worth every penny in case you ever need to do it again. Especially if the next one doesn't have a weeks worth of warning before it.

Glad to see you out of the woods.