AGP center drain?

[Bobthebuilderballs]

Hi all, I have a probably easy question for the veterans out there.

I have a 24' x 4' round pool, installing a new overlapping liner on it. My question is that my pool has a center drain, and I am a little foggy on how to install the liner on to that. Is the drain even really necessary? Could I not just remove and fill the hole and eliminate the piping and go on with my life not having to worry about it?

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello and welcome to TFP. Can you operate without a MD? Sure. Many do ... I don't have one. In fact, many feel that surface movement and skimmer removal of debris is more important for their pool. Just make sure you have good return jet circulation to your skimmer and you'll be fine.

 

[Blake1989]

In my opinion, having a main drain on an above ground pool is optional. On an inground however, they really help the circulation in the deepest parts of the pool. With an average depth of 40-50 inches however, a skimmer and one return work just fine. If you install a main drain you will also have to properly winterize it. Keep that in mind.

 

[duraleigh]

Nix the main drain for me. Like Blake1989 says, an IG pool may be a little different but I see no real purpose on an AG pool

 

[mariane]

We have a deep end with a main drain in our 16 x 28 AGP and do not use it very often. It did not seem to make much difference for keeping the pool clear. With that said, it does come in handy when/if you want to circulate the water while swimmers are in it. If the water level goes below the skimmer line such as when draining and still wanting to circulate the water this is handy. Also, the debris from the deep end goes directly to the pump thru the main drain and not thru the skimmer which, for us, has the skimmer sock and blocks a lot of the small debris. If we had to do it again, I think we probably would NOT install one.

 

[Casey]

Get rid of it. I'm of the opinion that the less you cut the liner the better off you are to avoid leaks.