Closing the pool question (blowing out the lines)

[Txboynjgirl]

I live in the south so we don't have numerous freezing temperture. I thought about just running my pump for a few hours but I rather close the pool. I will be on vacation in January so i don't have to worry about the pool.

A couple of questions. I had a pool guy blow out the lines last year. He used a mighty vac. I like what he had but they (mighty vacs) are pretty expensive. I have a friend that has a good air compressor. Can I use that to help blow out the lines?

some say that it might damage the pipes... Also, if you're blowing out the lines....why do you have to drain your pool below the skimmers? With the might vac...we didn't do that. If I use an air compressor, would it be easier to drain the lines by lowering the water level?

If I use an air compressor, where should I hook it up at? The pool pump at the bottom? The pool person with the mighty vac hooked it up on my mulitport waste line (blowing through my filter back into the pool---no waste went back in).

Thanks

[PoolDoc]

The problem with non-pool vacs is that they tend to have the wrong combination of flow and pressure. If a shop vac will blow out the lines vigorously, that's fine.

Compressors, not so much. You could rig up a accumulator tank at 10 psi that would work . . . but it would be pretty much of a kludge. The fact that air comes out of a line does not mean the water has been blown out. You need high flow at low pressure; a compressor has high pressure at low flow. Also, if you put compressed air in a line with an obstruction (like a closed valve) you can shatter the line!

[Txboynjgirl]

Could you use a tankless air compressor... I just like to see what is the most cost effective compared to a $400 + mighty vac.

[PoolDoc]

No.

A high performance shop vac is probably your best non-pro option.