Very informative and as you say there are different methods depending on plumbing and pool design. My inground pool does not use a main drain anymore, which isn't that uncommon even with new installs now. I have a vinyl lined pool and use a safety loop loc cover which I love after using those p.i.t.a. water bags and winter covers. I live in a high water table area, and those hydrostatic valves for the main drain can often cause issues. I often look for tips and tricks with the pool installers to see different ways of closing the pool. I'm always on my own, so use my shop vac with the kreepy hose I plug into the chlorinator and bring the hose beside me beside my return jets. I also only drain just below the skimmer so the returns are still under water for reasons you mentioned. I blow the lines out enough that it's only at the jet, and then stuff foam rope in and use an expansion plug to close off the jets. I was intrigues by those duck bill plugs to perhaps try as well. Almost 40 years with the pool, so nice to see the ways others use for closing too. I would really recommend those safety covers. Over 20 years with mine so far and still works great. Takes about 15 minutes to take the cover off for opening with no more slimy water bags to empty and scrub as well as the winter cover. 😋
Never seen a skimmer with 2 lines. If you have one line going to the pump, blow that line with the blow thru gizzmo. Most likely, the other one goes to the front / bottome of the skimmer. Plug that off and put foam in the line. Be able to take it out at opening.
Saw the PPC wristband. I know I can trust you guys 💯. Thinking about closing my pool by myself this year and am curious about these duck plugs. What are your thoughts on using a Shop Vac to blow the lines out? Also, is antifreeze necessary? Ive never seen anyone use it when closing my pool before.
@@Sumbaddy129 we were the first company that started using duck plugs 15 years ago. You need the blower that I have linked in the video description when closing a pool our way. If you use a shop vac, you must lower the water below the returns and vac out the water in the skimmer. You also don't have the blowing power to blow out the main drain. That's if the main drain goes to the pool pump. I have so many closing videos because there's so many ways of closing. And each situation is different
@@VIPPoolsandSpas Gotcha! Yeah I have no main drain. I always lower the water to below the jets amd basically do it all except blow the lines. So the company is here for all of 20 minutes to blow the lines and put the cover on. So I think I'll save my $200 this year and try myself. Thanks for responding.
@Sumbaddy129 so you do in fact drain your pool just below the return lines? Do you have a liner? I was told it was a bad thing to drink it down that far. I will be closing my pool this year in a few weeks and just looking at how some people do it. Curious as to what climate you live in. I'm in northwest Ohio so it does get pretty cold here.
@@JoeJumps I'm in Northern Canada. Some pools can be lowered and some not. If you follow my videos and your pool looks like the ones we close, you'll be ok. The reason I don't drop the water below the jets is because most pools have a safety cover. You want the water up high so when the snow comes it's not pushing 4 feet down into the water. This can put strain on the coping or stone around the pool. If it's higher when the snow comes then the cover will float more on top of the water.
@@JoeJumps Hey, I am just west of Toronto, Ontario. Pretty much the same climate as Ohio (give or take a few inches of snow). I used to have a pool company close our pool, then I was brave enough to do most of it myself and only pay for them to blow the lines and put the safety cover on. But after watching them do it a few times I feel more comfortable doing it myself this year. As for the liner, they've always drained it to just below the jets. Like right under the jets. I will probably close Thanksgiving weekend (Oct 11th up here). My pool always fills back up over the course of the winter when we open it early spring. Never had an issue with the liner. I am intrigued by the duck plugs these guys use but am worried about a faulty duck plug or it failing at some point.
My question is can I go ahead and winterize my pool now while temps are above 70 degrees. I recently had a link and water got below the skimmer. I don’t want to add water just to have to lower it again and I also don’t want to keep it open and have to keep cleaning it. So I want to go ahead and cover it. Is that a problem winterizing it while temps are still hot?
Very good question. You can close your pool anytime you like. Make sure to balance your water and have chlorine levels just above 3ppm. If it's still warm out, just add 1L of algaecide once a week until it gets cold out. Do the same when opening it up for summer. Starts to get warm out, add the algaecide.
Thanks! That makes sense. A lot of stuff I was reading was saying I might have a really hard time getting it clean once I open it up in spring if I close too soon but I guess treating it with the algaecide will help with that. Does it need to be circulated though?
Don't have to circulate it. If you have a safety cover, just walk around the pool and pour it thru the cover. If you have any other cover, will have to pour in at different spots. When you open in the spring, try to open it when it's still somewhat cold out. That's normally around late April early May. In Ontario, Canada anyway.
Thank you. Great question about the deck jets. I try and only do videos that will relate to most people. Most people don't have deck jets, so a video like that wouldn't do well. But. Maybe next year I'll do a video on that very thing.
Watch other videos on our channel to get a total look at how to close a pool the right way.
Very informative and as you say there are different methods depending on plumbing and pool design. My inground pool does not use a main drain anymore, which isn't that uncommon even with new installs now. I have a vinyl lined pool and use a safety loop loc cover which I love after using those p.i.t.a. water bags and winter covers. I live in a high water table area, and those hydrostatic valves for the main drain can often cause issues. I often look for tips and tricks with the pool installers to see different ways of closing the pool. I'm always on my own, so use my shop vac with the kreepy hose I plug into the chlorinator and bring the hose beside me beside my return jets. I also only drain just below the skimmer so the returns are still under water for reasons you mentioned. I blow the lines out enough that it's only at the jet, and then stuff foam rope in and use an expansion plug to close off the jets. I was intrigues by those duck bill plugs to perhaps try as well. Almost 40 years with the pool, so nice to see the ways others use for closing too. I would really recommend those safety covers. Over 20 years with mine so far and still works great. Takes about 15 minutes to take the cover off for opening with no more slimy water bags to empty and scrub as well as the winter cover. 😋
I dont have a main drain but two lines from the skimmer. And the house came with two blow through gizzmos. Do I use both of them in the skimmer
Never seen a skimmer with 2 lines. If you have one line going to the pump, blow that line with the blow thru gizzmo. Most likely, the other one goes to the front / bottome of the skimmer. Plug that off and put foam in the line. Be able to take it out at opening.
Can i screw both gizmos in and blow the line? Apparently my skimmer takes two for the winter
1 will be to the pump and the other most likely goes to the main drain
What is the piece called that is connected to the hose that goes into the skimmer?
There is a link in the video description
Saw the PPC wristband. I know I can trust you guys 💯. Thinking about closing my pool by myself this year and am curious about these duck plugs. What are your thoughts on using a Shop Vac to blow the lines out? Also, is antifreeze necessary? Ive never seen anyone use it when closing my pool before.
@@Sumbaddy129 we were the first company that started using duck plugs 15 years ago. You need the blower that I have linked in the video description when closing a pool our way. If you use a shop vac, you must lower the water below the returns and vac out the water in the skimmer. You also don't have the blowing power to blow out the main drain. That's if the main drain goes to the pool pump. I have so many closing videos because there's so many ways of closing. And each situation is different
@@VIPPoolsandSpas Gotcha! Yeah I have no main drain. I always lower the water to below the jets amd basically do it all except blow the lines. So the company is here for all of 20 minutes to blow the lines and put the cover on. So I think I'll save my $200 this year and try myself. Thanks for responding.
@Sumbaddy129 so you do in fact drain your pool just below the return lines? Do you have a liner? I was told it was a bad thing to drink it down that far. I will be closing my pool this year in a few weeks and just looking at how some people do it. Curious as to what climate you live in. I'm in northwest Ohio so it does get pretty cold here.
@@JoeJumps I'm in Northern Canada. Some pools can be lowered and some not. If you follow my videos and your pool looks like the ones we close, you'll be ok. The reason I don't drop the water below the jets is because most pools have a safety cover. You want the water up high so when the snow comes it's not pushing 4 feet down into the water. This can put strain on the coping or stone around the pool. If it's higher when the snow comes then the cover will float more on top of the water.
@@JoeJumps Hey, I am just west of Toronto, Ontario. Pretty much the same climate as Ohio (give or take a few inches of snow).
I used to have a pool company close our pool, then I was brave enough to do most of it myself and only pay for them to blow the lines and put the safety cover on. But after watching them do it a few times I feel more comfortable doing it myself this year.
As for the liner, they've always drained it to just below the jets. Like right under the jets. I will probably close Thanksgiving weekend (Oct 11th up here). My pool always fills back up over the course of the winter when we open it early spring. Never had an issue with the liner.
I am intrigued by the duck plugs these guys use but am worried about a faulty duck plug or it failing at some point.
My question is can I go ahead and winterize my pool now while temps are above 70 degrees. I recently had a link and water got below the skimmer. I don’t want to add water just to have to lower it again and I also don’t want to keep it open and have to keep cleaning it. So I want to go ahead and cover it. Is that a problem winterizing it while temps are still hot?
Very good question. You can close your pool anytime you like. Make sure to balance your water and have chlorine levels just above 3ppm. If it's still warm out, just add 1L of algaecide once a week until it gets cold out. Do the same when opening it up for summer. Starts to get warm out, add the algaecide.
Thanks! That makes sense. A lot of stuff I was reading was saying I might have a really hard time getting it clean once I open it up in spring if I close too soon but I guess treating it with the algaecide will help with that. Does it need to be circulated though?
Don't have to circulate it. If you have a safety cover, just walk around the pool and pour it thru the cover. If you have any other cover, will have to pour in at different spots. When you open in the spring, try to open it when it's still somewhat cold out. That's normally around late April early May. In Ontario, Canada anyway.
No reason to winterize if it doesn’t freeze where you live.
Great video. What about deck jets?
Thank you. Great question about the deck jets. I try and only do videos that will relate to most people. Most people don't have deck jets, so a video like that wouldn't do well. But. Maybe next year I'll do a video on that very thing.