How to drain a cartridge filter pool?

[bobhatfield]

I need to drain about 20% of my pool and refill with tap water to lower CYA. However, it's a closed system with a cartridge filter - no backwash tap. Do I just rig something up such as remove the swg cell and redirect the flow via a backwash hose? I can restrict intake to just the drain with valves. Or is there a better way?

 

[257WbyMag]

You may just head up to Home Depot and get yourself a cheapish sump pump and use that. You can rent one, but I am willing to bet that you will need it again at some point. Might as well have your own.

 

[bobhatfield]

You may just head up to Home Depot and get yourself a cheapish sump pump and use that. You can rent one, but I am willing to bet that you will need it again at some point. Might as well have your own.

I don't know, it's mostly bone dry here in Phoenix.

 

[phipsi1237]

I think it costs about $30, maybe less,to rent a pump for 4 hours. Should take about 2 hours to drain 6K gallons once it's running.

 

[bobhatfield]

Actually, may not be a bad idea because one could calculate gallons per min instead of eyeballing water level...

 

[bobodaclown]

This may help it's what I did with mine:
adding-a-to-waste-drain-to-plumbing-t35088.html?hilit=drain

Hope it helps.

 

[kkendall]

My PB actually put a hose connection between the pump and filter. There is also a drain plug on the bottom of the filter canister (below the pipe connections). But the pump suggestion would be the way to go if you don't have a hose connection.

 

[Just-a-PB]

We always install a hose bib on the return side of the filter to make it easy to drain down some water if needed.
You could cut one in. Not a bad thing to have when we get a big storm and pool is overflowing.

 

[bobhatfield]

Great ideas, I only wish I'd waited to read these before heading to Home Depot. I removed the swg and added this 3" to 1.5" rubber fitting with a piece of PVC to clamp the hose to. It worked great but would rather have the drain plug valve!

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[Just-a-PB]

That is some nice out of the box thinking.

And when you are done you can return it all.