How to close an in-ground vinyl pool at home by yourself

Closing a saltwater pool. Draining, blowing out lines, pool cover. Process works for me, may not be appropriate for your particular application. Follow your manufacturers recommendations.

[@dopelogik]

Thank you. I closed my pool for the first time this year. That said, I might still pay a dude $300 next year to do it :) but glad I did it!

[@douglastranghese7270]

I use a shop vac to get the water out of the skimmer. Works good

[@tomnkim100]

Many Thanks !!! We are gonna close for the first time ourselves and your instructions are awesome !! Thanks for sharing your knowledge :) God Bless

[@kellyvance1314]

Before shutting off the pump to winterize, close the drain and just run the skimmer til dry. This will remove 90% of the water in the line, the rest can be vac’d out. Add a gallon of antifreeze down the pipe, screw in gizmo and add a gallon to cover gizmo. Done.

[@butchstewart3863]

Thanks for sharing brother, I have to add some valves as the installer did not put an isolated valve for the floor drain. Nice tip on blow out connector!

[@zombieguy8608]

I do understand that everyone has their method. I can tell you that I have been closing my pool for 14 years. Dropping the water level below the the returns, then blowing the lines and putting antifreeze in the lines is totally pointless. If the lines are clear, there is no reason for antifreeze. Professional pool companies do not recommend dropping the water level unless you have a tile border where the winter cold would cause the pool water to freeze and crack the tile. Its also better for the cover not to drop the water level because if you get a lot of snow on that mesh cover, the cover is going to stretch much more than it would have otherwise. I never dropped the water level and never put antifreeze. All the valves should be open when you are blowing the lines and plug them up as each lines blows. The skimmer always blows first because its the most direct line. Once you see air bubbles coming from the line, as its bubbling you plug it up and then the next line will blow, as its blowing you plug it up and so on. The main drain is last. People always think well there is still water in the line as you plug it up. No, plugging the line causes the air pocket, even if by some chance there were to be a bit of water, its not enough to expand to crack your line. The entire purpose of the gizmo is to take the pressure caused by frozen water off the outside of the skimmer ands put all the pressure on the gizmo or else the frozen water would crack the skimmer. You should be plugging the skimmer as its blowing. Again, I know everyone has their own methods but I see a lot of overkill here, especially pouring antifreeze into the returns but whatever works for you.

[@nickl582]

Thanks for explaining this.

[@Poolknot]

Lol

[@MaxAcceleration]

Dropping the water below the returns allows me to see the water blowing out and easy to tell when it's done. Air bubbles coming out does not necessarily indicate the water is all gone. I can go under water and blow bubbles, but obviously that doesn't clear out a pool. lol I also get to see the pink of the antifreeze come out to know it's in there. You are correct, you don't have to use antifreeze when you remove all the water, however if you get a leak (gizmo crack, plug leak, etc) then you are covered. Just some extra insurance. Besides that, come spring my pool is completely full so if I didn't lower the water, it could get to the top and behind the liner and rust out the steel walls. I don't use gizmos either, I remove all the water from the skimmer using a PVC pipe screwed to the bottom of the skimmer to the top and T's out to the side and blow it out. I then throw in a couple empty antifreeze bottles that perform the same crushing purpose as a gizmo. I have no idea why in all these video I see people blowing lines with a shop vac or an air compressor. Neither of those have sufficient volumes of air to push all the water out. You need high air mass (CFM) AND pressure, something those two are incapable of. A shop vac has high CFM but low pressure. An air compressor has high pressure but low CFM. The use of antifreeze when using the shop vac or air compressor is mandatory because they are not getting out all the water and are basically using the antifreeze to protect, not as a secondary protection. I use a Mighty Vac Blower. You must be getting your lines clear since you haven't had a problem and you don't use antifreeze. How deep is your pool? What do you use to blow your lines?

[@mattt8974]

@@MaxAcceleration but you don't need to get every drop of water out of the pipe. The pipe would have to be 100% filled for it to freeze and cause a crack in the pipe. Plugging the line while it's bubbling looking like boiling water means the air is pushing the water out of the pipe for it not to be filled with water. Not only was i taught by someone who worked many years for a pool company but I have confirmed this method with several different pool companies and none use antifreeze or drop the water level. Whatever works for you.

[@MaxAcceleration]

@@mattt8974 I agree you don't need to get every drop out of the line, but if there is some left behind and that water sits in an elbow fitting it can freeze. Pipes don't have to be completely full to burst, water volume expands 9% when frozen. So if the pipe was 92% full you will still bust the pipe. Those air bubbles might be passing through the 8% gap. Using a high CFM / high pressure blower and adding antifreeze doesn't take any extra time - I just add it into the pump housing while blowing them anyway. Not having water fill to the top and get behind the liner and rust my steel walls seems to make sense also. I change my liner myself and I've seen the damage water can do when it hits the steel walls, but not all pools are steel either so like you said, to each his own and do what works for you.

[@mikeexch]

When I am blowing out the skimmers from the pump with the compressor my shop vac fits right in the skimmer takes all the water out easy, Last year i think disconnected the pump and blown air with the shop vac instead into the skimmer which worked good also

[@rubyj8191]

Hi, great video. Do you have one for how to open?

[@gentile1947]

Can you tell me how much air pressure you had the compressor set to? I would think you wouldn’t set the regulator to more than 30PSI.

[@obeliskgroup5714]

Thank you for this great video. Any video about winterizing the pool gas heater? Also I have a question at opening time where those antifreeze will go? aren't those harmful for the skin or affecting the water?

[@ultimarker]

First year closing my pool. Before getting started, I was wondering why I should use a sump pump to empty pool as shown in the video rather than backwash.

[@CHEECHMUN]

in my pool, backwash only empties a few inches.

[@toddtavares7386]

You could probably use the pool pump in the waste position but you'd have to valve off the skimmers because they would start drawing air and damage the pump. My pool is small and only has one skimmer so its on its own pipe with its own valve.

[@CHEECHMUN]

@@toddtavares7386 I emptied it yesterday with the sump pump. Took 24 hrs. Thanks.

[@WatsonsWagons]

No real reason, I have paper cartridges in my filter. I suppose I could simply use the pool pump to draw out the water.

[@RajendraSingh-qg3cx]

Nice video man how did you get the skimmer to be the dry did you use the shop vac and suck it out thanks

[@Ali.hz85]

Great video sir and lots of good advices which I am going to use to close my pool this year. I do have one question tho. Could you tell me where I can find the cap for NPT fitting ? I am also going to leave my fitting in there just like you but not sure where to get the plug. Thanks in advance.

[@mikimiki195]

Where do you hook cover on concrete is there something pre installed when concrete was done

[@WatsonsModels]

No, after the concrete is poured and settled I had to use a hammer drill to bore out holes to tap in the anchors

[@mikimiki195]

@@WatsonsModels thank you

[@TheNine6]

Use the pump to drain 90 percent of the suction lines. This is definitely a "make things hard for yourself" pool closing.

[@donlouis1608]

Very Helpful thank you...to the point...

[@toddtavares7386]

So what do you do with the suction lines from the the inlets at the bottom of the pool going up to the pump? You blew them out and vapor locked them with the in-line gate valves, but how do you get anti freeze in them????

[@WatsonsWagons]

The one line that feeds the bottom is way below the frost line. Air pocket about 4 ft down. Never had a problem with this section.

[@abriere1987]

Return lights stay in?

[@jannettegreen2146]

Thank you for the video. I plan to close my pool myself this year rather than pay a company…way too expensive. I’m still a bit confused about blowing the water/ air? out with a shop vac. I guess I’ll have to watch the video a few more times to get my confidence up.

[@rebecaibarra7636]

Where do you get your cover and how much. I also have right side steps

[@freakbiker]

Isn't 18 inches the freeze line? So 4 feet would be safe from freezing, why so much antifreeze?

[@WatsonsWagons]

I’m paranoid

[@headbanger2867]

I have a kayak with a similar pool cover, as it rains do I need to get the water off the cover over the winter?

[@WatsonsWagons]

Water just bleeds right through on this cover

[@cha-ka8671]

Why did you use a pump to remove your water? Why not just turn your valve to bottom drains only and discharge to waste until you get below the skimmers?

[@mikehawk2156]

If you blow the lines out and cap them after, how would water get into the system? No need for antifreeze.

[@WatsonsWagons]

Still water in the bottom horizontal pipes leading to the pump. I’m extra cautious, only a few bucks for a little insurance

[@robertchew5309]

@@WatsonsWagons So what do you do when you cannot get all the water out at the skimmer lines ? This is the skimmer usually by the ladder and is flush to the cement on top.

[@LubaLuba1]

I understand to put anti freeze in the skimmer lines but returns too also what do you use for blowing air thru lines dry vac ?? looks like you need to have a hose in the skimmer to get water out or turn filter on this would drain skimmer line?

[@m.a.4829]

Hey, I'll try to answer your questions; 1- He's using an air compressor to blow out the lines. Even though the compressor was never filmed, the tube and connection used are for air compressors. 2- You don't necessarily "have" to add antifreeze to the return lines if all the water is blow out, but it's very cheap insurance on a very expensive item. 3- Some water will fall back into the skimmer pipe as you ate blowing out the line, but the remaining water should be way below the freezing line at that point, also the addition of the antifreeze assures you that the remaining water in the pipe won't freeze. I use a "blow out gizmo," you screw it into the skimmer then blow out the line. Good point about turning on the pump to suction out the water in the lines, just dont do it for more than a few seconds as you don't want your pump just sucking air. Hope that helps, enjoy your day!

[@jmccracken491]

A lot of work but really worth it.

[@jigneshsoni9263]

Came across your video while trying to find instructions about blowing out the main drain for winter. I am confused how my pool plumbing is setup. I connected air compressor to blow out all my lines. I was able to blow out my 2 skimmers and all the returns. But I am not able to do this for the main drain. I have tried so many things but just can't figure this out. No matter what lever I change....I just do not see bubbles coming out from main drain. Any idea what is going on?

[@zombieguy8608]

If you have all the other lines plugged up the only place for the air to go is to the main drain, you let it bubble for 30 sec and then close the valve.

[@miles2989]

No antifreeze for the bottom main drain?

[@WatsonsWagons]

In theory it’s air locked and well below the frost line here.

[@wildwoodtrading2338]

Nice cap! Gig'em Aggies

[@АлексАлекс-у7г4с]

Hey. How do you run the pool in the spring. Will antifreeze get into the water?

[@mdurg]

Yes. But you use anti freeze made for pools. It’s non toxic.

[@bowtie406]

GIG'EM!!!!!

[@LubaLuba1]

Question should the anchors sit upper so that the hooks ride or lower because i notice a gap between edge of cover and concrete area surrounding the pool.

[@WatsonsWagons]

It should be snug, I had to go around and adjust.

[@triplecrownbaseball9758]

What was the PSI set to on the compressor? Thank you.

[@Executiveinvestments-]

his compressor is very weak. But you dont use a compressor to blow out the lines.This is 100% wrong.

[@WatsonsWagons]

Around 30psi

[@bradsnapp8437]

@@Executiveinvestments- Compressor seemed to do the job.

[@Executiveinvestments-]

@@bradsnapp8437 you don’t get all the water out and no pool professional uses a compressor. This isn’t lawn sprinklers. Pros use a industrial vacuum.

[@adamluke14]

For the bottom drain, you should have closed the valve before shutting off air compressor thus creating an “air lock” in that line. Then you should have winterized the skimmer line.

[@robweakley587]

Gig ‘em!

[@aircraftlinemtcliving6392]

I’m so glad he showed us how to sweep off the sidewalk! We thought you let the leaves just stay there!

[@LubaLuba1]

Yeah but how to prevent leaves from blowing under the cover.

[@666dynomax]

Close your pool at home... Ok. Glad this works at home.

[@lenjames]

Wow...I've been doing for year by myself. ....guess I should of made videos.....Ohh yeah KZbin wasn't around when I was in my 30s.

[@crediblepools5045]

Not how you do that.

[@j0539h]

Omg Blowing air into the drain does what? It will just fill up with water. You just need to pour in antifreeze. For the skimmer, close the value and suck out the water, sure but just add antifreeze.