What is Reddit's opinion of Gizzmo 4102 Super Gizzmo in Big Deep Skimmers for Pool?

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It freezes hard where I live, so I am paranoid about the lines freezing and having an underground rupture.

If you have a mesh cover, drain the water low enough to compensate for winter snow melt. For me, that is 18-24 inches. Not sure what the norm is for a solid cover, but you definitely need it below the filter returns.

I blow out the lines with an air compressor and will even add a little RV anti-freeze to the lines and blow that out just to make sure.

Securely plug the water jets with pvc caps or whatever.

I'll also make sure there is no water in the skimmer (there shouldn't be at this point) and add a pool skimmer plug for added mental relief. Not sure if that's actually needed or not, but it makes me feel better.

I also remove the filter gauge and rinse visual glass thing (not sure if those are needed) and open all drains (definitely needed) on the filter.

My first year with a pool, I paid someone to close it and took notes and pictures.

Gizmo usually does the trick

https://www.amazon.com/Gizzmo-4102-Super-Deep-Skimmers/dp/B00404NQIU

You should hire someone to do it the first time, but then you can decide if you want to do it yourself after that. Here's what I do for my inground pool:

First, If you have the type of cover that uses those water bags to hold it in place, you should be filling those with pool water if you can. I have the type of cover that attaches to anchors now. Filling those bags was always a pain in the butt. But the prior owner left a doohickey that let me attach a garden hose to one of the return inlets, so I was at least able to fill those with pool water and not spend money filling them with metered water from the town.

• vacuum it good (to waste, since I need to lower the level anyway)
• drain it to waste as far as it can go.
• turn off the pump
• drain it further so the water level is below the water jets (my in-ground is on a hill, so I can just siphon it off -- that usually takes overnight, though.)
• While the pool is draining, take off the drain cap on the bottom of the filter and let the filter drain
• I also take the sight glass, pressure gauge, and rubber waste hose off.
• My pump motor is able to be disconnected and taken indoors, so I do that too.
• After the pump is gone and the water is at the right level, I bring my compressor out, and blow all the water out of all the lines (I can't blow out the line that goes from the drain at the bottom to the skimmer, of course.)
• Then I pour pool antifreeze into all the pipes, since we get really cold winters. I also put a tube down the water pipe that goes from the skimmer to the drain at the bottom of the pool and pour antifreeze down that, too, hoping it stays in the line. (Maybe 1/2 to 3/4 gallon down each line, it may depend on how long the line is, 2 gallons total).
• Then I put rubber stoppers in the return inlets and in the skimmer pipe going down to the drain at the bottom of the pool. And I use one of those gizmo things for the skimmer pipe going back to the pump.
• Then I put 4 gallons of liquid shock in.
• Then I cover it up and call it good.

I can usually get it done in a weekend (an hour or three each day). If I'm pressed for time, I cover it right after getting the water to the right level, and blow out the lines the following weekend. And I'm sure other people do it in a different order. You just reminded me that I need to do this next weekend. :)

I needed to get a compressor, and I need to be meticulous about making sure I have all the proper parts, and keep the parts (like the filter drain plug) I will need next year without losing them. Until you get that system down, it's best to just pay someone to do it.