Thank you for the video. Would you please say when you would want to drain the water level down below the returns vs leaving the water level higher? If you do leave the water level higher, should it be at normal operating level or below the skimmer but above the return jets? Thanks.
@@mabagliomb That is a video I'm looking into. There's SOOO many closing videos out there and its hard to find the right video for your pool. I'm thinking of ways to make the search easier. There will be a video just on blowing out the plumbing at the equipment and a whole video just for the pool side. That will be in 2022. Thanks for watching and the feed back. If there' s anything else I'm missing or you want to see, just let me know.
I have a 3-4 foot inground pool and started to drain it below the return jets. I'm nervous that draining it that much will leave the pool unsupported from the inside (given how shallow it is). How low can you drain a 3-4 foot pool before causing problems?
@@VIPPoolsandSpas can you use a shopvac to blow out the hayward pump ? Or can we skip doing this somehow if we blow the lines from the skimmer? My pool doesnt have any bottom drain... Last year the guy who closed my pool just blow out from the skimmer and didnt even touch the pump... just took off the plugs... Thanks!
Great video. To clear out my skimmer line, I just ran the pump until it was was sucking air (just a few seconds) and then I set the valve to recirculate to blow out the returns. I blew the skimmer line anyway with a small shop vac but there was no water or it wasn’t strong enough. Any reason using the pump to clear the skimmer wouldn’t be sufficient? It’s only the one skimmer with two returns, no main.
Most pools have the safety mesh cover and its better to have the water up high so when the water freezes, the cover will rest on the ice when it pushes down. if the water is 3 feet lower, the cover can sink down, get frozen in the water and then it puts strain on the cover, the springs, the coping and even finishing (coping stones/bullnose stone) around the pool. I see it every year and we fix these issues every year. Found this is the best way to save a lot of things at once. Doing one this year where the stones around his pool get broken off because of this. Pool is 3 years old and he has to fix it every year. Ill do a video on this and will show the closing, what it looks like during the winter and then in the spring. Lets see if Im right. Have to wait for this video next season since it will take awhile to video.
How important is getting the main drain cleared out? my Shop Vac is not powerful enough to blow air through. I have in the past stuffed foam rod into the 2nd pipe in the skimmer (which I assume goes to the main drain) and capped it. The other line to the pump gets blown out without issue and gizmo installed. Ive been closing my own pool for 10 years now and no issues. Maybe Im just lucky? My returns are also quite low in my liner pool, Ive never felt comfortable lowering the water level below the jets for some reason. Is there a safe/recommended distance to lower the water in a liner pool? Thank you
Are there adapters for blowing out the lines using an air compressor? 1/4 inch air line to the wider hose that goes into the skimmer and main drain pvc pipes at the filter
Yes. Thats if you want to use a compressor. Most people don't have a compressor that can blow out the lines properly. Thats why you"ll hardly see a pool guy use a compressor. The compressor would have to be a pretty large one to have a consistent air pressure and flow.
What brand of vacuumed did you use to blow out the main drain I use a 5 horsepower craftsman but don’t believe it has enough power to blow out the lines I never get any bubbles from the drain when I try to blow it out
There's not one shop vac or electric blower on the market that can blow out a main drain. Even a gas powered has a very hard time. The blower we use should be linked in the video description. Or at least in one of our other pool closing videos.
I used a 5 HP shop vac to blow out the lines on my pool. All of the lines cleared out except the main drain. No matter how long I had the shop vac blowing out the main drain, no bubbles would come out. When I turn off the shop vac, I can feel air coming back out of the pipes. I'm assuming that it pushed some of the water out, but isn't strong enough to get all the way through the line. If I blow it out like this and close off the valve, will this be sufficient to avoid problems? I'm in southern Missouri where we get some snow, but usually have pretty mild winters.
The main drain goes to the pump? If you have a shut off, blow the lines then close the shut off while the blower is going. To see if it's pushed the water down, open the shut off and if you hear air it has worked. Re blow the line after.
Hi there. It's my first time closing my pool myself and all goes well until the main drain. We are using a 6.5HP blower directly into the main drain pipe. Skimmer is fully closed. When we turn the blower on, there is a large amount of air that comes out of the main drain and then it quickly turns to small bubbles then nothing. It is all over and done with in 5 or 10 seconds. All the videos I have watched show air continuing to come out of the drain until the lock is complete. For note, we were able to create a lock. We tested it by opening the valve and we could hear the hiss and then water echoing in, what sounds like, an empty pipe. The pool is approximately 30 feet from the equipment. The main drain is at a depth of 6'. Clearly air is getting through the pipe but it isn't continuing. Any thoughts?
There will be some water in the main drain plumbing even if you push air thru the pipe. The idea is to push the water more than 4 feet under the ground. Keeps it from freezing. So. If you can trap air in the line as you have said your doing the right thing.
@@VIPPoolsandSpas Thank you!!! It feels like it’s right based on how echoey it sounds when I tested if I had achieved a lock. Everything else blew out perfectly. I appreciate the feedback. The first time is full of second guessing myself. Cheers.
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Thank you for the video. Would you please say when you would want to drain the water level down below the returns vs leaving the water level higher? If you do leave the water level higher, should it be at normal operating level or below the skimmer but above the return jets? Thanks.
@@mabagliomb That is a video I'm looking into. There's SOOO many closing videos out there and its hard to find the right video for your pool. I'm thinking of ways to make the search easier. There will be a video just on blowing out the plumbing at the equipment and a whole video just for the pool side. That will be in 2022. Thanks for watching and the feed back. If there' s anything else I'm missing or you want to see, just let me know.
Hi it's me again. I blew out the skimmers first this year and did the main last, is that okay or should I do the skimmers again?
@@FaizurPiuli it's all good.
I have a 3-4 foot inground pool and started to drain it below the return jets. I'm nervous that draining it that much will leave the pool unsupported from the inside (given how shallow it is). How low can you drain a 3-4 foot pool before causing problems?
Very helpful, got tired of people half a**ing my pool opening and closing and saved money doing it myself which seems like a better job.
Its pretty easy if you have the right equipment.
@@VIPPoolsandSpas can you use a shopvac to blow out the hayward pump ? Or can we skip doing this somehow if we blow the lines from the skimmer? My pool doesnt have any bottom drain...
Last year the guy who closed my pool just blow out from the skimmer and didnt even touch the pump... just took off the plugs...
Thanks!
@@joelroblin4665 follow my videos on closing pools.
Great video. To clear out my skimmer line, I just ran the pump until it was was sucking air (just a few seconds) and then I set the valve to recirculate to blow out the returns. I blew the skimmer line anyway with a small shop vac but there was no water or it wasn’t strong enough. Any reason using the pump to clear the skimmer wouldn’t be sufficient? It’s only the one skimmer with two returns, no main.
What you do with the skimmer is perfect when using a shop vac. Even if you get 50%of the water out, most likely it won't freeze and break the pipe.
Hello, thanks for the video. What is the diameter of the creepy crawley hose that you used to blow out the intake lines?
About an inch and a half.
Thank you! Your video really helped me out! Much appreciated
@@andylavoie6453 Keep watching. There's always something new you could use or try out.
Besides what you showed in the video, what other reason would you not lower the water levwl below the returns?
Most pools have the safety mesh cover and its better to have the water up high so when the water freezes, the cover will rest on the ice when it pushes down. if the water is 3 feet lower, the cover can sink down, get frozen in the water and then it puts strain on the cover, the springs, the coping and even finishing (coping stones/bullnose stone) around the pool. I see it every year and we fix these issues every year. Found this is the best way to save a lot of things at once. Doing one this year where the stones around his pool get broken off because of this. Pool is 3 years old and he has to fix it every year. Ill do a video on this and will show the closing, what it looks like during the winter and then in the spring. Lets see if Im right. Have to wait for this video next season since it will take awhile to video.
@@VIPPoolsandSpas would the same apply for solid winter covers?
How important is getting the main drain cleared out? my Shop Vac is not powerful enough to blow air through. I have in the past stuffed foam rod into the 2nd pipe in the skimmer (which I assume goes to the main drain) and capped it. The other line to the pump gets blown out without issue and gizmo installed. Ive been closing my own pool for 10 years now and no issues. Maybe Im just lucky?
My returns are also quite low in my liner pool, Ive never felt comfortable lowering the water level below the jets for some reason. Is there a safe/recommended distance to lower the water in a liner pool?
Thank you
@@Mrdubomb keep doing what your doing. I always try to keep as much water as I can in an inground pool.
Are there adapters for blowing out the lines using an air compressor? 1/4 inch air line to the wider hose that goes into the skimmer and main drain pvc pipes at the filter
Yes. Thats if you want to use a compressor. Most people don't have a compressor that can blow out the lines properly. Thats why you"ll hardly see a pool guy use a compressor. The compressor would have to be a pretty large one to have a consistent air pressure and flow.
I have two compressors with 17 gallon tanks each.
What brand of vacuumed did you use to blow out the main drain I use a 5 horsepower craftsman but don’t believe it has enough power to blow out the lines I never get any bubbles from the drain when I try to blow it out
There's not one shop vac or electric blower on the market that can blow out a main drain. Even a gas powered has a very hard time. The blower we use should be linked in the video description. Or at least in one of our other pool closing videos.
What blower do you use???
Can't get the one I use anymore but there is a link in the video description for a different one.
I used a 5 HP shop vac to blow out the lines on my pool. All of the lines cleared out except the main drain. No matter how long I had the shop vac blowing out the main drain, no bubbles would come out. When I turn off the shop vac, I can feel air coming back out of the pipes. I'm assuming that it pushed some of the water out, but isn't strong enough to get all the way through the line. If I blow it out like this and close off the valve, will this be sufficient to avoid problems? I'm in southern Missouri where we get some snow, but usually have pretty mild winters.
The main drain goes to the pump? If you have a shut off, blow the lines then close the shut off while the blower is going. To see if it's pushed the water down, open the shut off and if you hear air it has worked. Re blow the line after.
Thanks, I'll try this.
@@davidclark2253 update please. Did it do the trick?
@@vbianan6979 Yes, it worked.
Thanks very helpful and clear… Better closing pool video then others out there. Helped me close my pool. 👍🏼🙌🏼
Can I just screw in the plug in the skimmer rather than using the gizmo?
Yes. Fill with antifreeze and put a pool noodle or 2 in the skimmer so it helps it from cracking it.
Hi there. It's my first time closing my pool myself and all goes well until the main drain. We are using a 6.5HP blower directly into the main drain pipe. Skimmer is fully closed. When we turn the blower on, there is a large amount of air that comes out of the main drain and then it quickly turns to small bubbles then nothing. It is all over and done with in 5 or 10 seconds. All the videos I have watched show air continuing to come out of the drain until the lock is complete. For note, we were able to create a lock. We tested it by opening the valve and we could hear the hiss and then water echoing in, what sounds like, an empty pipe.
The pool is approximately 30 feet from the equipment. The main drain is at a depth of 6'. Clearly air is getting through the pipe but it isn't continuing. Any thoughts?
There will be some water in the main drain plumbing even if you push air thru the pipe. The idea is to push the water more than 4 feet under the ground. Keeps it from freezing. So. If you can trap air in the line as you have said your doing the right thing.
@@VIPPoolsandSpas Thank you!!! It feels like it’s right based on how echoey it sounds when I tested if I had achieved a lock. Everything else blew out perfectly. I appreciate the feedback. The first time is full of second guessing myself. Cheers.
@@Majerly_Annoyed If you here air pressure, you know it worked. You'll be fine.
Thanks
No problem