Just got off the excellent Zoom on winterizing. Thanks to all the contributors. Wanted to get some help in planning for my particular situation please.
I've lived in the house with this pool for 1 year. I had a company close the pool last season but didn't really pay enough attention to do it myself. My pad is below the water level, about 30 feet from the pool (and maybe 3 ft below the water level as the yard slopes down). I have a solid cover that connects to deck anchors. Also, my main drain is plumbed to one of the skimmers through the second port in the skimmer. The other skimmer also has a second port that is connected to a hole about 2 feet below the skimmer (think it serves to prevent suction issues if the skimmer basket is full). Here is what I was thinking of doing. Please comment and correct:
1. Drain pool water 1-2 inches below waterline tile
2. Use "snorkels" for each of the returns (basically a 90 deg threaded elbow with a PVC extension up above the water level). Let gravity drain the lines then plug them up. Prior to plugging the last line, blow out any water left in the return lines using the Cyclone.
3. Blow out the skimmer lines from the skimmers to the pad using the Cyclone. Use Gizmos for the two skimmer lines.
4. Fill the main drain line from the skimmer with foam rope. Or I could try to blow air through the main drain line with the Cyclone at the skimmer and then quickly plug it at the skimmer. That may require some special adapter for the Cyclone since the hole is 1.5" threaded.
5. Fill the second line (the one that just goes a couple of feet down into the pool) from the other skimmer with foam rope.
6. Pull the drain plugs on the heater and filter to drain them.
I also have an attached spa that is a bit more complicated. There are two returns in the spa, one just below the water line tile and the other at the bottom of the spa. There is also the spa drain and two additional drains that each serve 4 hydrotherapy jets (so 8 jets total) that have their own dedicated pumps. Here is what I was thinking:
1. Temporarily drain the spa into the pool. Since the pool water level will have been lowered, there will be room for the spa water. There is a spillway that connects to the pool, but the pool level shouldn't reach that level.
2. For the two returns, connect the same kind of snorkel I use for the pool to allow them to drain by gravity. One will be longer, of course, for the return near the bottom of the spa.
3. Blow out the spa drain and plug it.
4. I'm having trouble figuring out what to do with the 8 therapy jets. I can remove the two pumps that serve each circuit of 4 and allow the pipes to drain themselves while the spa is empty. The jets are Waterway Polystorm gunite. So they have a 1 inch PVC pipe that extends into the gunite shell to the Venturi manifold. Waterway instructions say to leave this in place and only remove the jet internal from the wall fitting and plug the wall fitting. The wall fitting however is not really sealed to the niche the entire thing sits in (there is some silicone, but I wouldn't count on that being sealed). So, when I refill the spa, it is likely some water will enter around the wall fittings. I'm hoping the jets will be below the freeze line if the water surface freezes. If you're not familiar with the Waterway Polystorm system, see the link below. For some crazy reason, this 22 year old pool was built with Venturi manifolds behind the gunite, but the Waterway niches, wall fittings, connecting pipes and jet internals were never installed. I had the pool re-plastered last fall and added the niches at the time and installed the other components this season myself. So, the pool has never been winterized with the jets.
5. Blow out any water in the air lines for the Venturi using the Cyclone. The air intakes are about 25 ft away behind some shrubs and are 2" PVC. I will plug these just to avoid snow getting in them.
6. Let the spa water back into the spa from the pool by opening the equalizing plug between the two (basically a 1.5" PVC connection through the wall).
One thing I could consider for the jets is sealing all the wall fittings to the niches with fresh silicone and let in cure overnight before finalizing the closing. Unsure if this will really prevent any water from getting in. Then I would just plug the wall fittings.
Appreciate any help with this plan.
Thank you.
I've lived in the house with this pool for 1 year. I had a company close the pool last season but didn't really pay enough attention to do it myself. My pad is below the water level, about 30 feet from the pool (and maybe 3 ft below the water level as the yard slopes down). I have a solid cover that connects to deck anchors. Also, my main drain is plumbed to one of the skimmers through the second port in the skimmer. The other skimmer also has a second port that is connected to a hole about 2 feet below the skimmer (think it serves to prevent suction issues if the skimmer basket is full). Here is what I was thinking of doing. Please comment and correct:
1. Drain pool water 1-2 inches below waterline tile
2. Use "snorkels" for each of the returns (basically a 90 deg threaded elbow with a PVC extension up above the water level). Let gravity drain the lines then plug them up. Prior to plugging the last line, blow out any water left in the return lines using the Cyclone.
3. Blow out the skimmer lines from the skimmers to the pad using the Cyclone. Use Gizmos for the two skimmer lines.
4. Fill the main drain line from the skimmer with foam rope. Or I could try to blow air through the main drain line with the Cyclone at the skimmer and then quickly plug it at the skimmer. That may require some special adapter for the Cyclone since the hole is 1.5" threaded.
5. Fill the second line (the one that just goes a couple of feet down into the pool) from the other skimmer with foam rope.
6. Pull the drain plugs on the heater and filter to drain them.
I also have an attached spa that is a bit more complicated. There are two returns in the spa, one just below the water line tile and the other at the bottom of the spa. There is also the spa drain and two additional drains that each serve 4 hydrotherapy jets (so 8 jets total) that have their own dedicated pumps. Here is what I was thinking:
1. Temporarily drain the spa into the pool. Since the pool water level will have been lowered, there will be room for the spa water. There is a spillway that connects to the pool, but the pool level shouldn't reach that level.
2. For the two returns, connect the same kind of snorkel I use for the pool to allow them to drain by gravity. One will be longer, of course, for the return near the bottom of the spa.
3. Blow out the spa drain and plug it.
4. I'm having trouble figuring out what to do with the 8 therapy jets. I can remove the two pumps that serve each circuit of 4 and allow the pipes to drain themselves while the spa is empty. The jets are Waterway Polystorm gunite. So they have a 1 inch PVC pipe that extends into the gunite shell to the Venturi manifold. Waterway instructions say to leave this in place and only remove the jet internal from the wall fitting and plug the wall fitting. The wall fitting however is not really sealed to the niche the entire thing sits in (there is some silicone, but I wouldn't count on that being sealed). So, when I refill the spa, it is likely some water will enter around the wall fittings. I'm hoping the jets will be below the freeze line if the water surface freezes. If you're not familiar with the Waterway Polystorm system, see the link below. For some crazy reason, this 22 year old pool was built with Venturi manifolds behind the gunite, but the Waterway niches, wall fittings, connecting pipes and jet internals were never installed. I had the pool re-plastered last fall and added the niches at the time and installed the other components this season myself. So, the pool has never been winterized with the jets.
5. Blow out any water in the air lines for the Venturi using the Cyclone. The air intakes are about 25 ft away behind some shrubs and are 2" PVC. I will plug these just to avoid snow getting in them.
6. Let the spa water back into the spa from the pool by opening the equalizing plug between the two (basically a 1.5" PVC connection through the wall).
One thing I could consider for the jets is sealing all the wall fittings to the niches with fresh silicone and let in cure overnight before finalizing the closing. Unsure if this will really prevent any water from getting in. Then I would just plug the wall fittings.
Appreciate any help with this plan.
Thank you.
