How To Drain An Above Ground Pool With A Sump Pump
Using a submersible electric pump, a.k.a. a sump pump, to drain your pool is much quicker than using a garden hose. And if you need to drain your pool every winter, buying a sump pump can be a worthwhile investment. But you can also rent one from a local hardware store if its a one-time job and you want to save some money.
Youll need:
Make sure the power cord of your sump pump is long enough to reach the bottom of the pool from the nearest outlet. While it is possible to use an extension cord, it needs to be heavy-duty enough to handle a sump pump.
Do not use your pool pump to drain water from your pool.
Draining An Inground Pool
There are a few different ways to drain your pool, and your method will depend on your pool type and the water level. If you have an inground pool, the most common ways are:
Using a Submersible Pump
This type of pump is designed to be used underwater, and it will quickly remove the water from your pool. The pump is placed at the bottom of the pool and extracts the water through a hose. Youll need to connect the pump to a garden hose and lower it into the pool. Once the pump is turned on, the water is pumped out of the pool and into your yard.
Using a Sump Pump
Another option is to use a sump pump placed outside the pool and pump the water through a discharge hose. A sump pump is, however, not as efficient as a submersible pump. Youll need to place the sump pump at the lowest point in your pool and then attach a garden hose. Once the pump has been turned on, it will slowly remove the water from your pool.
Consult Your Local Water Authority First
If you just start siphoning water out of your pool with a garden hose, you could end up costing yourself a lot of time, money, and grief. Many municipalities have their own rules about how, when, and where someone can drain their pool, and you need to abide by those rules.
For instance, most municipalities will require you to run your pool water through your homes sewer cleanout line so it will flow to a water treatment plant. Others might allow you to send all that water down the storm drains that line your street. Municipalities may also have water chemical composition regulations. Some may require the water to be chlorine neutral, which would necessitate a lot of chlorine neutralizer.
Also Check: Drill Drain Hole In Ceramic Pot
How To Refill Your Above Ground Pool
If youre making repairs or adding fresh water, dont plan on leaving your pool empty or dry for too long. Sunlight and weather can damage the liner of an empty pool. So as soon as youve completed your repairs, start refilling your pool. Consider using multiple garden hoses to speed up the process.
Once the water reaches halfway up your skimmer, you can turn on your pool pump and filter again. Then retest and rebalance your water. If you need help figuring out the right chemistry levels for your pool, check out our guide on Basic Pool Chemistry 101.
How To Drain An Above Ground Pool
Need to drain your above ground pool? Maybe its full of nasty, stagnant water. Or maybe you need to completely take it down for the season or make emergency repairs. Either way, youll need to drain some or all of the water from your swimming pool. And if youve never drained your pool before, doing it the wrong way can damage your pool liner, or worse: the whole thing can collapse.
Heres a step-by-step guide on how to drain an above ground pool with or without a pump. You can watch the video tutorial below. Or keep reading for the complete pool draining guide.
Don’t Miss: Clean Out Ac Drain Line
Check The Pools Water Level
May change the pool water level, depending upon the weather condition, how many individuals, and the times we use the pool remain.
Rainwater may cause the water levels to rise, and this requires that excess water be reduced to maintain the desired level. A garden hose comes in handy with continuous rainfall, and it can solve your problem.
Never Go Through These Hassles Again
I take a bottle of pool water to Leslie Pools.
Wait in line.
Then in a few days, take another bottle of water to get tested.
Repeat the process a few more times while going crazy.
Here are the items from my water analysis that generally need fixing:
- Free Available Chlorine
- Total Dissolved Solids
Maybe youre a beginner dealing with pool chemistry problems for the first time and you want an easy solution? Keep reading for the answer
You May Like: Bathtub Won T Drain Not Clogged
How To Drain An Above Ground Pool Without A Pump: Garden Hose Siphon Method
If youre only partially draining your pool or you dont want to use a pump, you can use a garden hose to siphon out your pool water. It will take longer than using a pump, but this easy, DIY method means you wont need to buy or rent any equipment.
The easiest way to create a siphon is by submerging the entire garden hose underwater and then removing one end of the hose out of the pool:
If your water level is too shallow for this method or youre not getting a siphon, you can speed up the process by attaching your garden hose to your houses spigot .
Lets Go Deeper Into My Submersible Pump Experience
The submersible pool pump I bought drained about 15,000 of the 22,000 gallons of pool water into my back lawn in about 8 hours.
Believe me, this is not something I wanted to do, but after buying the best pool drain pump with an extra-long hose, it was pretty easy to do.
I set up the pump on Saturday afternoon, and by Sunday morning, I thought my pool was drained enough so that when I added clean water it would correct the issues. Lucky my estimate to partially drain the pool was good enough and the updated water test report was positive!
The label says the MAX flow is 2115 GPH, which worked out pretty well.
Like I said, every year for more than a decade, I hassle with trying to balance the water chemistry.
Normally it would take about 3 trips back to Leslies to get the water re-tested. Each time Id wait in line behind someone who had 50 questions.
This year, when I test my water, if its too much out of whack, Ill drain my pool again.
Besides, Id rather spend $28 on fresh clean water to swim in than on all the chemicals the Leslie Water Analysis Report says I need to add.
Runner-ups
You May Like: Types Of Kitchen Sink Drains
How Do I Get Water Out Of My Pool Without A Pump
You can get water out of your pool without a pump by siphoning the water out with a garden hose, using a submersible pump, or using a vacuum cleaner. To siphon water out of the pool, you will need a long hose pipe without holes along its body length. Place the end of the hose pipe in the pool and then place your mouth on the other end and suck repeatedly until water comes out. Spit the water out, but do not swallow it. Once the water starts flowing, it will create a vacuum effect that will pull the water out of the pool. You can also use a submersible pump to pump the water out of the pool. This can be done by attaching the pump to the drain plug and then connecting the hose to the pumps outlet. Finally, you can use a vacuum cleaner to suction the water out of the pool. To do this, you will need to purchase a vacuum hose and attach it to the vacuum. Then, you can place the hose in the pool and turn on the vacuum, which will suck the water out.
How Do You Drain The Bottom Of An Inground Pool
To drain the bottom of an inground pool, you can use a garden hose or a sump pump. With a garden hose, you will need to drop the hose underwater and then create a siphon by sucking on the end of the hose. This will create a suction that will draw water out of the pool. Alternatively, you can use a sump pump to quickly and easily draw out water from the pool. The sump pump should be placed in the lowest part of the pool and will draw water out as it pumps. Once the water has been drawn out, make sure to turn the pump off and disconnect it from the power source.
You May Like: Drain Sticks Where To Buy
Closing An In Ground Pool For The Winter
You should close and winterize your pool ahead of the frost to keep your equipment and water lines from freezing. Try not to close your pool too early though – if you wait until the water temperature is consistently below 15 degrees Celsius then you’ll have less algae growth throughout the Winter season. The following guide will work for inground pools sanitized using chlorine or salt water.
Step 1) Get your equipment organized
Before you close your pool check your equipment to ensure it’s in good shape and you have everything you need. This includes:
- – Your winter cover – check for rips or tears. Try repairing small rips or tears with a vinyl pool patch or pool cover patch tape
- – Water bags – check for leaks and ensure you have enough bags to cover the perimeter of your pool
- – Your skimmer plugs – check for cracks or holes
- – Return jet plugs – check for cracks or holes
- – Winter chemicals
- – Air compressor or a powerful shop vac to clean out the lines.
TIP: Purchase one of our pool closing kits to get all of the winter chemicals you need in one handy package! Plus, our deluxe pool closing chemical kits include a non-chlorine shock, perfect for use with both chlorine and salt water pools.
Step 2) Prepare the pool
Step 3) Prepare filters and pumps
Do you need a new filter or pump? Shop online now.
Remove Any Water Remaining After Draining
Remove the remaining water this step is only for complete drainage when you need to replace your liner. It may not be necessary to drain all the water in some circumstances. There are many ways to do this, but the fastest is to suction it out with a pump or a wet/dry vac.
If you want to spare the expense, you can use buckets or other containers to remove as much water as you can.
Read Also: Best Drain Cleaner For Pvc Pipes
Pick You Wish To Drain Pool Partially Or Totally
Drain your pool with a garden hose is a straightforward procedure that can last one hr, depending on the pools dimension. If you have to wait for the entire pool to drain pipes, it can likewise take numerous hrs.
A pool pump and a garden hose are often used to drain quickly if you should like to drain your pool quickly. By siphoning, can delete the water. This method is suitable if you want to replace the swimming pools liner with a new one.
Can use it for partial drainage pool water since it doesnt need much pressure. Making this decision is also crucial because you can then choose whether you must obtain a pool automated cleaner or not.
Ways To Drain An Above Ground Pool
You have three options for how to drain an above ground pool: siphoning water with a garden hose, using a submersible pump, or using your pools drain adapter.
If you only need to partially drain your pool because you need to adjust your water chemistry, siphoning the water out with a garden hose is an easy option. However, if you need to completely drain a larger pool, youll want to use a sump pump to speed up the process.
Finally, if youre draining a pool to store it during the winter months in a colder climate, you may want to use your pools built-in drain adapter .
Heres a step-by-step walk-through of each method.
Don’t Miss: Shower Drain Distance From Wall
So Youre Looking For The Best Pump To Drain Pool Water
I know the thoughts that go through a pool owners mind when the weather warms up.
Ugh, its that time again. Then you check the pool water chemistry hoping after the pools have been closed all winter that it doesnt need draining
Or worse, worrying something terrible has polluted the water like finding a .
Listen, since 2007, Ive dealt with all sorts of pool water problems. Out-of-balance pool chemistry to start my summer pool season is an easy one to fix.
On the other hand, dead rats, birds, rabbits, bugs, and lots of spiders, not so easy
How To Drain An Above Ground Pool With A Drain Adapter
If you have an Intex, Coleman, or other temporary above ground pool, your pool may have a drain adapter. This allows you to drain the pool faster if you have to take it down at the end of the season.
Recommended Reading: Drain Snake Won’t Make Turn
You Need To Make Structural Repairs
You can handle most pool repairs without draining all of the water from your above ground pool. Its even possible to patch and repair your pool liner while its still underwater. Special maintenance, however, may require an empty pool. And that includes jobs like completely replacing your pool liner or repairing your pool frames base.
Faq Draining Your Swimming Pool Water
1. Where do I drain my pool water? In Litchfield Park, where I live, the city doesnt allow draining pools into the street gutter, so I drain the water on my lawn.
2. How much water do you drain? My pool is 22,000 gallons, and I drained out about 15,000 gallons.
3. How long will it take to drain your pool water? With my 1/2 HP submersible pool pump, it took about 8 hours to drain out about 15,000 gallons at ~2000 GPH.
4. Does all that water on your lawn flood your backyard? Actually, I was surprised by how quickly the water got absorbed into the ground. Never did it look like it was puddling.
5. How much did your water bill cost for refilling your pool? Last July, my water bill went up about $28.65 when I refilled my pool at .00191 cents per gallon.
That concludes this DIY tip, and now its your turn
Every pool is different, so would you share your pool water story in the comments below? It would be a great addon to this best pump to drain pool water tips.
Also, if youre a new pool owner whos just learning how to service your swimming pool, I also recommend that you check these DIY pool maintenance tools.
Ads last updated on 2022-11-26.
Read Also: Tooth Abscess Draining On Its Own
How Do I Get Water Out Of The Bottom Of My Pool
To remove water from the bottom of your pool, you can use a submersion pump or a wet vac to suck out the excess water. If you dont have access to those tools, you can use a garden hose to siphon out the water. Additionally, you can use a deep leaf net to get as much of the debris out as possible, and then brush and vacuum the pool thoroughly. Finally, you can backflush the filter until the water is clear.