How To Blow Out Pool Lines
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How you blow out the lines for your pool will depend on a number of factors that will be unique to your pool. It is hard to answer a general question like this as there are many types of pools with different configurations and of course you want to make sure you do this properly...if you are blowing out the pipes for your swimming pool it is likely you are getting ready for a winter season where failure to perform this task properly could result in significant (and costly) damage to the pool. I have always advised intrepid pool owners to consider hiring out the winterizing process and perhaps take on the opening process yourself if you want to save on your annual pool care costs.
If you fail to blow out the lines and winterize your pool properly then you can do some serious damage. Not that it would be impossible for a pool owner to winterize a pool themselves, but more that there are a few nuanced parts of the process which you could miss or do incorrectly which could end up causing some damage. If you do take on winterizing your own pool and need to know how to blow out the lines for your pool, the shortest possible answer I can give you is to say using the right equipment is the secret to success.
What do you use to blow out pool pipes? - There are a lot of tools you could use to blow out the pipes for your pool. Many pool owners and DIY enthusiasts will want to use a large wet / dry shop vacuum for this process because this is the most reasonable tool they have on hand. While some pools can do this with success, a very important take away that I want you to have from reading this is that not all pools can use a shop vac to blow out the lines. Also worth noting I do not believe that sucking with a vacuum can be effective at removing all water from a pool system. So if you do use a shop vacuum, note that you should be blowing through the pipes, not sucking, and some pools will fail to clear the lines, especially for the skimmer and the main drain pipes, using a shop vacuum...no matter how many horsepower it is. A quick note on pressurized air is that while strong enough to blow out a pool system, these are also rather ineffective for clearing pool lines because you need long and steady pressure, not super high pressure. There is a specific product which is actually the best choice for blowing out pool pipes and winterizing skimmers and even main drains.
3 HP Cyclone Pool Line Blower
3 HP Cyclone Blower Canada
These handy little tools are (by far) the most common, and best tool you can use to blow out the pipes for your swimming pool. Even though a shop vacuum might have a higher horsepower rating, the way in which these blowers spool up like a turbine causes increasing pressure versus the less pressure-building vacuum blower. This spooling up and pressure building aspect is what allows you to blow out a skimmer with a few cubic feet of standing water in it, or to blow out the main drains located eight or more feet underwater on the floor of the pool! I am not confident that any other tool can get the job done with the same reliability of these cyclone blowers. I consider this tool the minimum cost of entry if you want to be able to winterize your own pool and blow out the pipes adequately to ensure you will not be having problems in the spring.
How to blow out the pool pipes - Using the cyclone blower plus a length of hose, commonly a segment from a pool vacuum hose, you can blow from the pump location through each of the suction lines and each of the return lines, systematically one by one. Of course in order to do this you might need to lower the water level in your pool. Not every pool is the same. The goal is to evacuate all of the water from the pipes so in most cases lowering the water level below the pipe / port level will help accomplish this. Unfortunately some pools can not be drained this much, or all in extreme cases, in which case you need to blow through the pipes while the pool is relatively full. You will need to lower the water level below the skimmer mouth at the very minimum in order to blow out and winterize the skimmer line. This is only a few inches lower than normal operating level so this is safe for most pools to do. Disassemble the pump, filter and heater (and peripheral equipment) and blow through the pipes from an available union location (like a valve) or you can also blow through the pump suction side for the suction lines, and through your heater or salt cell unions (or last piece of equipment on the pad) through the pressure side return lines. Use the valves if needed to help you blow each of the pipes one by one. The main drain line is the only pipe that you will end up closing the valve for the winter. Blow through the main drain until air is bubbling vigorously from the main drains on the floor of the pool, and then close and isolate that pipe (and turn off the blower at the same time). This will effectively air lock the main drain pipe, just like holding your finger over the end of a straw.
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How to protect your pool from freezing
What damage can freezing do to a pool?
Should you drain your pool for the winter?
How to winterize a pool heater
How to winterize a pool sand filter
How to winterize a pool skimmer
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Swimming Pool Steve is an award winning, second generation swimming pool and spa specialist from Ontario Canada. With over 10,000,000 views on the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube Channel, winner of the 2018 Pool & Spa Industry Leadership award and author of hundreds of pool and spa articles both online and in print Steve is committed to helping pool and spa owners as well as pool and spa industry workers learn more about the technical side of building, renovating, repairing and maintaining all types of swimming pools and spas. Follow Swimming Pool Steve on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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