Stupid question of the day: How to drain below skimmer

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curt222

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LifeTime Supporter
Jun 4, 2008
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Ok - I am sure there is a very simple answer to this, especially since I didn't find the answer by searching.

How do I drain my above ground pool 6 inches below the skimmer? I can't do it by backwashing since once the water is below the skimmer water won't be running through the filter.

Thanks.
 
Welcome to TFP!!

If 'waste' is an option, I'd use that over 'backwash'. The reason is obvious -- any debris that gets sucked in won't end up where debris doesn't belong in the filter (... and I am partial to 'waste' :p )

Using the vacuum method is a good way to get below the skimmer if that's the only suction source, but it may try to draw air if it's not completely sealed. However, you can either pump some pool water into the skimmer to prevent this or have the garden hose trickle into the skimmer to keep the line free from air and preserve the prime on the pump :)

Hope to see you here next season :goodjob:

BTW - there's no such thing as a STUPID question! :hammer: no one is born knowing this stuff and if you don't ask, how are you supposed to find out? :scratch:
 
curt222 said:
Thank you for the help. As to the utility pump suggestion, I have one but was worried the suction might be bad for the liner. I am unnecessarily worrying?
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Be sure the grate on the bottom is in place and doesn't have any holes in it!!!! I've seen liners get sucked up into the impellers and torn :( , but other than that they work well - or you can tie a rope to the handle and keep it up off the liner :)

HTH
 
I had the issue of low salt reading that ended up being due to a failing cell. When we got the new cell the salt level was 2000 points high. We drained using the backwash to the skimmer level. Then bought a battery operated sump pump which was a waste of money. We even used buckets to bail water. Finally we tried an old fashioned siphon using a garden hose and it worked great and was free! Here's how:

1. Find the area around your pool that is flat or goes down hill. This will not work up hill but should work flat.
2. With one person holding one end of the hose up, have a second person fill the hose at a spigot until water comes out the other end.
3. Each person continues holding the ends of the hose up. One person takes one end on the hose to the pool and puts it in the water while the other person is still holding the opposite end up.
4. Once one end is in the pool, the other end is laid on the ground. Water should start coming out, if not you may need to suck slightly on the end of the hose. Voila! You have a homemade pump that works better than one at the store.

Ours drained about 6 inches in 24 hours. Slow yes, but works great! We added another hose to speed up the process after a day. Be careful where you have the hose pointing so you do not flood an area.
 
smuggs said:
how about putting your vacuum hose in the water (connected to your skimmer, of course) :-D and then running your filter in backwash mode?
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Does this actually work..? I'm assuming the suction would keep the hose from being disconnected. That along with using a rope to keep the hose off the floor sounds like a much easier way than using my transfer pump for 12 hours.

Using hoses to siphon is very slow, but also a great technique.
 

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Richard320 said:
Just siphon with the vacuum hose. Attach it to the vacuum head for weight, feed it down slowly to let it fill, cap it with your hand, and quickly haul it out and over and below the water level inside.
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I don't have a sand filter with a waste option so I just remove my cartridge , disconnect the hose to the heater, put that out in the yard and let the pump go, meanwhile I connect a longer hose from the return jet and let that help lower it faster, eventually shutting off the pump as no more water is flowing.

Then I do what Richard said and put my vacuum hose in the pool and siphon out the rest once the water is below the return jet.
 
If you want to use a utility pump, just rig something to get it off the floor. I used a "milk crate" that I turned upside down and put the pump on top of it. That way no damage to the pool surface. Anything you could right that had holes in it would work. Heck you could put the pump in a 5 gallon bucket and lower the entire bucket in the water...the pump is in the bucket and there is plenty of flow into the top of the bucket.
 
toofast said:
If you want to use a utility pump, just rig something to get it off the floor. I used a "milk crate" that I turned upside down and put the pump on top of it. That way no damage to the pool surface. Anything you could right that had holes in it would work. Heck you could put the pump in a 5 gallon bucket and lower the entire bucket in the water...the pump is in the bucket and there is plenty of flow into the top of the bucket.
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Good suggestion 5 years later :p but maybe he is still trying to drain the pool :)
 
I just realized a few minutes ago that I could "automate" my partial drain during closing by using a pvc attachment (I made) on the return that would be about 2-3" lower and set the multi port on bypass to waste and let it drain overnight. This will definitely make things easier. Or I can always look in to the Aquador.
 
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