Written by Heide Braley and published on https://www.hunker.com/
Another pool season is coming to a close and you are starting to think about closing it up for the winter months. After a summer of splashing, lounging, swimming, and relaxing it’s understandable if you are reluctant to get this process started. Winterizing your pool is a necessary task to protect and preserve both your pool and the investment that you have in it. You can call in a professional or you can handle it on your own. Regardless of how you choose to get your pool closed, there are many different methods to getting it done. What we are covering in this article is how antifreeze comes into play in a pool closing.
Using antifreeze really is only an option if you have an inground pool. You can add it to the pipes to prevent any leftover water from freezing, expanding, and damaging them. If you are going to blow out all of the pool plumbing pipes and are quite confident in doing this, there really isn’t a reason to use antifreeze. It’s only an insurance policy if you have less confidence in being able to get all of the water out of your system or against any faulty plugs that are in circulation.If you are choosing to use antifreeze, then it is imperative you make sure to use one that is specifically designed for use in a swimming pool. Pool antifreeze is non-toxic to both animals and people. It is never a good idea to use automotive antifreeze in your swimming pool because it is harmful to living things. Always check the bottle before use to make sure it is non-toxic and designated for use in a pool.
Removing Antifreeze From the Inground Pool Lines
Preparing your water lines for winter is critical in protecting the money you have invested in your inground pool. Although you try to empty all the water from the lines, antifreeze works as insurance to prevent any remaining water from racking pipes or valves during the dead of winter. The type of antifreeze you use is very important, since pool-grade antifreeze–propylene glycol–is safe for pool water, unlike automotive or marine antifreeze. The antifreeze needs to be flushed from the lines after winter, before you use the pool the next season.
Step 1
Take off the cover on the pool and clean up all the debris from the surface of the water using a pool skimmer. Start adding water to bring the pool level back up to the middle of the skimmers.
Step 2
Open the water lines, the drains, the return, the filter and the pump valves. Turn the multiport valve to the “Waste” position. Pour water into the pump basket until no more bubbles come out, priming the pump. Turn on the pump and flush out the lines for about a minute. Turn off the pump.
Step 3
Turn the multiport valve back to the “Filter” position and turn the pump back on. Some of the antifreeze will get into the pool water, but since it is nontoxic, there is no need to be concerned. Most of the antifreeze flushes out during the waste cycle.
Step 4
Cycle the pool through its normal filtering and flushing cycles and the pool-grade antifreeze will dilute completely in the water without harming the pool or anyone swimming in the pool.
Original post here https://www.hunker.com/13418016/removing-antifreeze-from-the-inground-pool-lines/.
