How To Drain An Above Ground Pool- QUICK AND EASY WAYS

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Having a pool in your backyard is really nice but at times when you want to make so much room, I suggest you get a space-saver and you should know how to drain an above-ground pool.

Summertime is over and you need to make room for something in your backyard but there is a small problem.

Your pool is in there and it is filled with water and you would not want to make your backyard grass turn into a mud pool.

You can avoid this by not using the drain of your pool.

Some pools are installed with a drain plug that you can use but if you want to drain the pool without flooding the yard then this is not an ideal option.

Besides, using the drain plug to drain your pool straight on your backyard will most likely create a sinkhole that is very unwanted by any pool owner.

Well, lucky for you we made a simple step-by-step procedure of how to do it and how many ways you can get it done.

You also might want to clean your pool or change the lining and by doing that, you need to drain the pool first.

However, you should take note that regularly draining your pool is not necessary. If you want to drain your pool in the winter, you might want to think about that first.

There will be more damage than the benefits you get from it when you drain your above-ground pool in the winter. Mainly the lining will freeze in the cold and it might crack.

Table of Contents

Why would you drain your above ground pool?

As has been already mentioned, there is a wrong way to drain your pool so it is only right that we talk about the importance of draining a pool the right way.

There are different ways to drain a pool and it would be best to choose a method that is quick and easy.

Well, you get benefits such as working on cleaning the pool which is easier to do without any water in it.

You might also want to change the lining and it is easier to do that for the same reason.

If you are wondering how long it can take to drain a pool, then it can take around 10-14 hours which is quite a long time.

Here are some reasons why you might want to drain your above ground pool

1. Replacing the Pool Liner

This is the reason that will always require you to drain your pool in order to do the job.

Usually, replacing the pool liner happens when there is a tear or leak so you really want to drain your pool first.

If it is just a leak and you got a very reliable underwater repair kit, then you can do the job without having to drain your pool.

However, if you want to replace the pool liner, well then that is a different story.

You need to move around a big surface area in the pool so you need to drain the water.

2. Keeping the Water Fresh

It is not always necessary to replace the water in your pool.

But when you do, it makes sense to get the pool empty and cleaned so that the old water does not mix with the new, fresher ones.

See, if you know how to care for your pool when it is not in use, replacing the water is never recommended.

Covering it would be one way to keep it clean when not in use.

But despite this, we cannot always avoid stuff, especially the natural forces that come in during the cold, winter seasons.

Winterizing your pool properly helps you and your pool to stay great.

If any unwanted stuff happens, then draining the pool and replacing it will be necessary.

3. Fixing Your Pool Water Chemistry

Chemical imbalances happen to the water in your pool due to circumstances that we have no control over.

Most of them do not require you to drain your pool to fix it but there are some that do.

Chlorine lock is one example of chemical imbalances that require more than chemicals to counter them.

There even might be more inconsistencies making it worse when you use chemicals.

Chlorine lock is caused by a huge pH imbalance and the cyanuric acid inside the chlorine overpowers it, therefore decreasing the effectiveness of the chlorine.

So really, the best way to deal with chlorine lock is to replace the water with a fresh batch and get rid of the old water.

Basically, if the chlorine in your water does not work anymore, then it is necessary to drain your pool in order to replace it.

4. Moving Your Pool

Whether it is to move your pool into another location or store it, it only makes sense that you drain your pool water first.

Never try to move your pool with water in because first of all, it is nearly impossible and if for any reason, you manage to do it, you risk damaging your pool in the act.

So if you need to store your pool for the winter or if you just need extra space in your backyard, then draining it will be the best option.

How to Drain Above Ground Pool Using an ELECTRIC PUMP

There are a couple of ways to drain the above-ground pool that you can choose from.

One of the best ways to drain an above ground pool is using an electric pump since it quickly drains the pool.

One can also do it without a pump and that is discussed in the next section but this is the best and fastest way to get the job done.

Using an electric pump is very easy, fast, and reliable so it removes almost all the hassle and it brings the best result. So here’s how:

1. Choose the place to drain the water

It would be really unnecessary if you just dumped the water in your background.

That is what we are avoiding here.

So before you do anything, make sure that you find the right place to dump your water into. But do not just dump it anywhere you want.

Check any of your city ordinances on which way you should put your water into.

Water disposal might not be that a big thing but you can never be too careful.

Most cities require you to put your water disposal in the sewage to avoid trouble.

Of course, you should protect your own yard, make sure that if you decide to drain the water inside your premises so you do the job without flooding the yard.

Take necessary precautions before flooding the yard because once you reach that point, there is no coming back from that. Also, it can be tedious and tiring to clean up.

2. Choose what procedure you will take

There are some ways to drain your pool but in this case, an electric pump will do.

Further on in this article, you will find some other ways to drain an above ground pool without a pump.

The best kind is a submersible electric pump. It is much faster than others, especially against the classic garden hose that is used to drain the pool.

A submersible electric pump almost always completely drains your pool or leaves only some damp areas that it cannot reach.

The downside with an electric pump is that it can be expensive so you really need to make an investment.

Your electricity bill might increase if you use it regularly.

3. Drain the water

Using an electric pump is a very simple job to do. Besides, these products usually come with a manual or instructions so you can follow the easy steps.

So simply put your electric pump beside your pool and submerge the hose inside your pool as deep as it can go.

Make sure that the pump does not get water on it.

Pull the other hose where the water should exit and place it in the area where the drained water should go.

Plug the electric pump and then turn it on.

Let it do the work and your pool water will be out of there in no time.

How To Drain An Above Ground Pool with a garden hose

With the same steps above, you can use your garden hose to drain your pool if you do not have an electric pump.

Unsurprisingly, this simpler tool requires more work. It is not going to drain the pool as quickly as the first option but you still get good results with it!

First, you should follow the first step above and choose the hose as your option. Then you may follow these instructions to make it work.

So if you use your garden hose, there are two ways that you can drain the water from your pool.

The first one is to cut the hose and submerge both ends in the water.

Make sure that the hose is filled with water to create suction. Then cover one end of the hose and quickly pull it out of the water and onto the ground.

This will jumpstart the draining process and you can attach a longer hose to take the water to the drainage if the hose is too short.

The other way is to keep the length of your hose and submerge one end in your pool. Insert the hose to your faucet and turn it on until the water reaches the pool.

When it does, turn the faucet off and take the hose out of the faucet. Cover the end from the faucet and take it to the drainage, that should do the work.

It may take some time for it to drain the entire pool but this trick will do. You can combine this technique with an electric pump.

Using a hose at the start of draining will be great as it does the job.

However, when it comes to the few inches left in your pool, the pressure would be too weak for the hose to drain the pool entirely.

You can use an electric pump at this point to get the remaining water out of the pool. This saves more energy than using an electric pump the entire time.

How to drain an Above Ground Pool with Sand Filter

Sand filters are used mainly to clean your pool water without the need for changing the entire water with a fresh one.

The machine uses sand to clean the water in your pool.

What it does is it collects the water from your pool and uses a cycle inside the machine to circulate the water and keep the residues inside the machine.

See, water easily passes through the machine but larger particles have a hard time getting out.

Another pump releases the filtered water out of the external hose.

Most of the time, the external hose is put back into the- pool so the clean water that has passed on the machine goes back to the pool.

When you use a sand filter to drain your pool, you just need to submerge the hose that goes into the pool and put the other hose into the draining area.

Switch the machine to “Waste” mode and then turn it on.

When it has drained enough water that you want to be removed, turn the machine off and remove the hose from your pool.

How to Drain the Last Few Inches of Water from An Above Ground Pool

When you have done all the work in draining the water from your pool by using an electric pump or the other ways, you cannot help but notice that there will still be some wet areas.

You can remove the remaining water manually with the help of a bucket but this is too slow and exerts too much effort to get the job done.

The most efficient way to drain the last few inches from your pool is to use a wet or dry vacuum.

Making sure that your pool completely dries out is essential especially if you want to change the pool liner or store the swimming pool itself.

Run your vacuum through the wet spots and areas where there are still pools of water.

It should suck out as much as it can and maybe leave some wet surface but that is not that big of a problem.

Once you have used the vacuum on the remaining wet spots, you can leave your pool to air dry and make sure that you do not store it if it has not completely dried out.

Completely drying out the pool for storage is very important in order to keep algae and other bacteria from growing in your pool.

Drying out the pool is also great when you want to replace the liner as it is much easier to do.

FINAL THOUGTS…

Always remember that draining your pool completely is really unnecessary when you only want to replace the water or fix chemical imbalances.

You can completely drain a pool but it does take a long time, around 10-14 hours depending on the size of the pool.

Just follow the steps above and draining your pool would not be as hard of a job as most of us might think.

See that your pool is in good condition before performing any of the ways to drain it so you can do whatever you need to do without leaving permanent damage to your pool or your backyard.

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