Are you thinking about draining your above ground pool? Firstly, you need to question yourself, “is it required?” If confused, you might want to take a look at the list we have provided you of the reasons why you should drain the pool or not.
The Main Possible Reasons for the Drainage:
- Removing/ Reinstalling Liner
Removing or replacing your pool liner will indeed require water draining completely. If not, it can tear or harm the liner adversely.
- Storing for Winter
If you live in a cold environment, you must drain and store your pool throughout winter to protect it from freezing temperatures. The pool surface and equipment will get damaged if not exhausted.
- Cleaning the Entirety
Excessive debris or infectious organisms can cause severe issues in the pool and can’t be filtered. You’ll need to drain the pool and place fresh water.
- Moving Your Pool to a New Place
Whether moving your pool a few feet or KMs, draining is necessary. You will have to empty the whole water to prevent any damage.
- Repairing Surface/ Equipment
Patching or repairing the flooring, walls, or any particular part cannot be done without removing the whole or most of the water. It is crucial to pull out the water for easy and safe repair.
- Balancing the Chemical Levels
If the water has many chemicals that neutralizers can’t balance, you might need to remove some of the water and put fresh water in its place.
Table of Contents
Preparations Before Draining the Swimming Pool
- Planning to Stay Near the Pool While Draining
You must stay by the pool and monitor carefully while draining to ensure safety and proper working. The process can take up to hours, but you should never leave your pool unattended. It prevents future complications.
- Having a Disposal Plan
It would be best if you had a proper disposal plan. You can’t dispose of the water in your neighborhood or street. Check for the sanitary sewer line outside your home and discard the water there, as most areas don’t allow dumping in the storm drains.
- Choosing the Right Day for the Task
Choosing a day that is warm and breezeless is an essential part. It prevents the pool from future complications. It makes your work easier. The day is too hot or windy can damage everything to a great extent.
- Balancing the Chemical Levels
Before you dispose of the water, you must ensure it is chemical-free. It would help if you stopped adding chemicals days before you plan to drain, test, and ensure it’s chlorine neutral. If you can’t wait for days and want a quick result, you can always use a chlorine neutralizer. It balances the chlorine level perfectly and very quickly.
- Turning Off Heaters, Automatic Timers, Pumps, and Filters
As they say, precaution is better than cure. To protect the pool equipment, you must turn them off while the draining process continues. You can turn them on after the water is refilled.
Above are the necessary preparations or precautions you must take before draining your pool. It should be strictly followed to protect your pool from any future damage. If the process is executed poorly, it can cause serious harm to the pool.
How to Drain an Above Ground Pool Quickly
You can drain the whole pool in minutes by the following methods:
Draining With a Pump
Using a submersible pump is the quickest method to drain the pool. It drains the water almost entirely. Although it will be pricey and increase your electricity bill, this is the best method if you are still ready to bear the cost.
Follow the stepwise procedure to use a pump effectively:
- First, you need to ensure the intake hose of the pump reaches the middle point of the pool, submerged completely, after being unrolled.
- Secondly, the outlet hose must be placed at the right spot so it drains far away from the pool and doesn’t weaken the base the pool is set on.
- Turn the pump on after plugging the electric cord into the outlet.
- Keep monitoring the water flow throughout the whole process.
- Turn the pump off once it stops draining the water left. If you need to drain your pool entirely, you can remove the water left manually with a mop or a bucket.
Using a Hose Siphon Method
Unlike a sump pump, a hose will take more time and won’t drain the pool entirely, but it is very cheap and easy. It is best if you have more than one or multiple hoses at your home, it will make the process quick and easy. Go with the same technique with numerous hoses which you use for one. Although, having only one hose will be more than enough. Read the complete procedure below.
How to Drain an Above Ground Pool With a Hose
By immersing the hose entirely underwater for a few minutes and then pulling one end of the hose out of the pool, you can drain the water quickly. You have to do it step by step:
Submerge The Entire Hose In The Pool
It would help if you kept the garden hose submerged underwater until the stoppage of air bubbles, which means the water is filled in the hose.
Cover One Side Of The Hose
Pull the side of the hose covered with your hand out of the pool.
Put The End At A Lower Level Ground
Now you need to place the end covered with your hand at a lower ground level than the pool. The water will begin to siphon out by itself when placed at a surface lower than the pool’s water level. The other side must remain submerged.
How to Drain an Above Ground Pool Without a Pump
Once you have done the basic, necessary preparations, you can now move forward to finally draining the pool. Draining the pool with a submersible or any pump might be a little expensive for you. If you don’t want to use a pump and are wondering how to drain an above-ground pool with other methods and with proper care, we have provided a step-by-step guide so you can do it all by yourself.
Siphoning the Water Out by a Hose
If you don’t want to use a pump, this is the easiest method to drain the pool. It takes more time to siphon the water by a garden hose, but it is also a straightforward process. You don’t need to buy any expensive equipment. You can do it yourself.
[ The stepwise procedure is given in the “how to drain an above ground pool with a hose” portion]With the help of a Drain Adapter
If you have a Coleman or intext pool, it must have a drain adapter. The drain adapter speeds up the draining process and is a good alternative if you want to drain the pool immediately. Follow these simple steps, and you’ll be good to go.
- Join A Garden Hose To A Drain Plug
Only a drain adapter won’t do the work. It would help if you connected it with a hose to ensure it’s not draining here and there. If the water drains near or underneath the pool, it can weaken the ground your pool is set on.
- Place The Other End Out of The Pool
Place the other end, which is not connected to the plug, out of the pool. The water will draw off itself.
- Keep An Eye on The Water Flow
You must carefully watch the flow of water to ensure it is being drained at the right place and doesn’t go into the storm drains or neighbor’s house.
Using Buckets
This is undoubtedly the most tiring, infuriating, and time-consuming method. It requires lots of hard work and more people. If you try to drain the whole pool with a bucket, it will take many days. It is only recommended when the water left at the bottom of the pool is not being drained from a hose or pump.
How to Drain Water From Above Ground Pool After Rain
If there was just a little rain shower, you might not need to drain the whole water. But if a thunderstorm floods your pool with dirty water and debris, you must clean and drain most or all of it.
Following the simple steps, you can do the task easily:
Clean the Deck
Once the weather is all clear and calm, clean your deck of all the dirt and leaves. Remove the water properly and sweep away any debris left to prevent getting into the pool.
Remove Debris
Remove all the debris, scions, or leaves from the pool using a skimmer or leaf net. If necessary, use your hands to clean it properly to ensure the better working of the filters.
Turn the Filters on
Once you’ve gotten rid of the twigs and dirt, turn the filter and pump on. It would be best if you had the circulation of the water to let the filter work better. It will clean the small mud particles you can’t remove manually.
Brush away all the dirt from the ladders and walls using a pool cleaning brush.
Use Vacuum
You must manually vacuum the pool if there’s still much debris left to clean. Keep vacuuming until there’s no debris left and the waterline reaches up to half the skimmer.
Drain Some Water
It’s better to drain some of the water from your pool if there’s not much debris. You won’t have to empty or clean the whole water. You can drain enough to remove the small amount of residue left in the pool.
You can use a filter, a vacuum pump, or a sump pump (or submersible pump) attached to a hose for the work.
Do the Final Tests
After everything, test your pool water as it may be imbalanced by the rainwater. Adjust the chemical levels accordingly.
These were the various methods to drain your above ground pool during different situations and weather conditions. The steps vary while draining an inground pool. By following the stepwise guide we have provided for every circumstance, you will be able to take good care of your pool and prevent it from damage and future hardships.
After all, your pool is your true savior during the hot summers!
