Did I have an a-ha moment?

[numberonenole]

I knew we were going to have some rain so I had drained to pool some to prepare. That is what I usually do so the pool won't overflow, which sucks when it doesn't rain as much as they say it will. Well, we got 8 inches of rain in about 2 1/2 hours yesterday. It was insane. I freaked out when I realized my above ground pool was full to the top and I ran out in the lightning and pouring rain and started pumping to waste. I stood there and watched it until it was lower than the edge and then I turned off the pump, leaving the filter turned to waste, and ran inside. The rain kept coming but the water level never got back up there and then it dropped. So, if I leave the pump off but the filter turned to waste will it not allow the pool to overflow? How low will it drain the pool to? After the rain when I realized the water level had dropped so much I ran out and switched the filter back to the filter mode, but the water had drained to pretty much the low point of the skimmer of where I like to keep the water level.

Also, how do I know if I got water between the liner and the pool wall when it filled up so high? Isn't that a bad thing?

We are so lucky in that we have pure sand around here so even though it rained like crazy, the water is all gone now. I mean GONE! You wouldn't even know we had the flood if it wan't for the debris that washed up. Keep your fingers crossed that the gurgling, bubbling, tiny geysers that were in my yard yesterday don't turn into sinkholes...

Thanks!

 

[lborne]

Seems like you were siphoning the water out of the pool. Don't need the pump on to do that. I think had you not turned the valve off from waste that you would have eventually drained the pool to the level of suction.

If you want to do this to keep the pool from overflowing, you would want to have the main drain line shut off and leave only the skimmer line open so that it only siphons to that point. Of course, then after the rain, you will need to add water to get it midway of the skimmer inlet.

 

[numberonenole]

Thanks for your reply! I'm really not sure about all the ways the filter works. I know that water goes down the skimmer, through the pump, through the filter, then out the return. But can the return only shoot out water or can water get sucked back through the return if the filter is on a particular setting? The only way water can get out of and into the pool (besides rain) is through the return and skimmer, right? It is an above ground pool with just the one return. If I had left the filter set to waste would it have drained to the return or to the bottom of the skimmer?

Also, what about if water got in between the liner and the pool wall? What should I be looking for?

Thanks again!

 

[polyvue]

Thanks for your reply! I'm really not sure about all the ways the filter works. I know that water goes down the skimmer, through the pump, through the filter, then out the return. But can the return only shoot out water or can water get sucked back through the return if the filter is on a particular setting? The only way water can get out of and into the pool (besides rain) is through the return and skimmer, right? It is an above ground pool with just the one return. If I had left the filter set to waste would it have drained to the return or to the bottom of the skimmer?

Also, what about if water got in between the liner and the pool wall? What should I be looking for?

I can't answer your most important question (the last one, above) but the rather clichéd expression, water seeks it's own level, may apply here. That water had to go somewhere, so if there is no check valve between the return or the skimmer and the equipment (situated below the level of return/skimmer), water could have been sucked out of the pool, sent down a drain or into an overflow.... these are just guesses since I don't know your configuration.

 

[mas985]

Something to keep in mind is that if the pool were to overflow, it really is no worse than a slab of concrete the same size as the pool. Much like a large driveway. There really is no reason that I can think of to lower the level of the pool before the rain. Just do it afterwards.

 

[TimS]

Also, what about if water got in between the liner and the pool wall? What should I be looking for?

Since no one has answered this yet, I'll chime in. If your liner is an unbeaded, "overlap" style (the liner lays over the top of the wall,) you won't get any water between the liner and the wall in the first place, so no worries. The water will just run over the top of the liner out onto the ground.

If the liner is beaded, there will be small gaps between the pieces of the channel that holds the liner in place. A small amount of water can seep through these gaps. The water pressure forcing the liner against the walls should prevent all but the tiniest amount of water from getting between them, though. Given that this is an above ground pool, and that your yard is very sandy, any significant amount of water that managed to get between the liner and the wall should drain right out. The small remaining amount of water won't hurt anything as long as the walls are in good shape. This type of liner is likely to get a little bit of water between the liner and the wall from splashing during normal use. It isn't a problem, so don't worry too much about it.

The question of water between the liner and the walls is only really a concern for in ground pools that have drainage problems. The issue is usually ground water forcing it's way up from the bottom, not down from the top, and AFAIK hardly ever occurs when the pool is full, again due to the pressure of the water inside pushing the liner against the walls.

DISCLAIMER: This is based on my own limited experience with my AGP, what I've read here, and straight common sense. It is conceivable that I'm all 'wet.'

 

[numberonenole]

Wow! Thanks for the great information! I checked the liner and it does overlap, so the water couldn't get inbetween the wall anyway.
I will no longer be risking my life trying to lower the water level of my pool during our crazy thunderstorms! Thanks!