Closing in ground pool by draining it

[Fungi]

First off let me explain why this is even an option. The pool is located on sandy soil, on a hillside, 80 feet above the water table. The pool is only 2300 gallons which only takes a few hours to fill from our well. The only cost is electricity. The pool can drain itself in less than 30 minutes. It just made no sense at all to keep all that water over the winter. No more animals and insects making their way into the pool over the winter. No more long winded slams to get old nasty water to behave. Starting fresh every time makes for fast and easy startup. I've done it this way several years now and it's made having a small pool so much easier. I also move all my equipment indoors for the winter. My first pump failed early due to being out in the elements under wet leaves.

So the question... I usually try to blow out the lines with a shop vac then I add some antifreeze to the lines. This is a hassle and it's a problem to remove in the spring. Is there any way to remove all the water from the lines using suction, air pressure be it high volume low pressure, or low volume high pressure? If all the lines are open, covered with plastic, but not air tight, can it be assumed any water in the lines that do freeze will not crack the pipes because the ice can move along the inside to expand? Can you remove all the water from the remaining underground piping?

Thanks!

 

[PoolGate]

I would treat this as seasonal however I would still blow and plug the lines. Maybe even add some antifreeze.

 

[Bperry]

First off let me explain why this is even an option. The pool is located on sandy soil, on a hillside, 80 feet above the water table. The pool is only 2300 gallons which only takes a few hours to fill from our well. The only cost is electricity. The pool can drain itself in less than 30 minutes. It just made no sense at all to keep all that water over the winter. No more animals and insects making their way into the pool over the winter. No more long winded slams to get old nasty water to behave. Starting fresh every time makes for fast and easy startup. I've done it this way several years now and it's made having a small pool so much easier. I also move all my equipment indoors for the winter. My first pump failed early due to being out in the elements under wet leaves.

So the question... I usually try to blow out the lines with a shop vac then I add some antifreeze to the lines. This is a hassle and it's a problem to remove in the spring. Is there any way to remove all the water from the lines using suction, air pressure be it high volume low pressure, or low volume high pressure? If all the lines are open, covered with plastic, but not air tight, can it be assumed any water in the lines that do freeze will not crack the pipes because the ice can move along the inside to expand? Can you remove all the water from the remaining underground piping?

Thanks!

Yes, you can blow all the air out of the lines and then cap them to prevent water or animals from getting inside.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

It's a fiberglass pool. If you drain it, you need to brace the walls in a few spots to help support it. The fiberglass is like an eggshell compared to the soil around it - any movement at all will put a lot of stress on the shell and either cause it to buckle or crack it. The water in the pool provides a substantial amount of weight and pressure to keep the shell in place.

I would blow out all the lines until they are clear of water and then cap them. You can add antifreeze if you fell like it.

 

[cledee]

First off let me explain why this is even an option. The pool is located on sandy soil, on a hillside, 80 feet above the water table. The pool is only 2300 gallons which only takes a few hours to fill from our well. The only cost is electricity. The pool can drain itself in less than 30 minutes. It just made no sense at all to keep all that water over the winter. No more animals and insects making their way into the pool over the winter. No more long winded slams to get old nasty water to behave. Starting fresh every time makes for fast and easy startup. I've done it this way several years now and it's made having a small pool so much easier. I also move all my equipment indoors for the winter. My first pump failed early due to being out in the elements under wet leaves.

So the question... I usually try to blow out the lines with a shop vac then I add some antifreeze to the lines. This is a hassle and it's a problem to remove in the spring. Is there any way to remove all the water from the lines using suction, air pressure be it high volume low pressure, or low volume high pressure? If all the lines are open, covered with plastic, but not air tight, can it be assumed any water in the lines that do freeze will not crack the pipes because the ice can move along the inside to expand? Can you remove all the water from the remaining underground piping?

Thanks!

Why not just get a good decent winter cover?

 

[Fungi]

Why not just get a good decent winter cover?

who said I didn't have a cover?