drained pool last fall, need to vacuum sludge out

[ChristineM]

Welcome back everyone! Hopefully summer 2020 will be a time of peace and renewal for everyone ♥

So, I drained my giant pool last fall and neglected to take everything apart and clean it. Basically it just sat there. I was hoping 2019 would be it's last year but my daughter is insisting that we have the pool this year.... I gave in on the condition that she clean it the best she could and help with maintaining.
Anyway, here we are, cleaning everything. There was a lot of gross build up on the bottom of the pool, got out as much as we could. Now we're at the point of rinsing it and getting as much dirt out before refilling.
My question is, we now have large puddles at the bottom due to cleaning. What is the best way to get it out? We do not have a shop vac. Is there a way to hook the vacuum up to the pump to suck it all out?
Thank you
Christine

 

[Richard320]

Pick up the phone and call around and borrow a wet-n-dry shop vacuum. The alternative is mop and bucket. Or hands and knees with sponge and bucket. You'll never be able to get the pool pump to prime. So you owe someone a day of swimming. Start by calling people you'd invite anyway.

Remove the paper filter if the shop vac has one and vacuum away. Rinse the body when you're done and reinstall the paper filter.

 

[ChristineM]

Thanks Richard, I figured that would be the answer lol.

Oh, what size wet/dry vac would work? do you think a 5 gal would suffice?

 

[MJF54]

I use a 5 gallon when I clean off my winter cover, works fine.

 

[Richard320]

Thanks Richard, I figured that would be the answer lol.

Oh, what size wet/dry vac would work? do you think a 5 gal would suffice?

Whatever you can borrow. Just be sure it's rated for wet.

 

[kellyfair]

See, I’m hard core. I’d fill that filthy thing up and SLAM the begeezus out of it!

 

[ChristineM]

Well we got it done! borrowed from a friend. Between a bucket and the shop vac, only took an hour or so... Now on to the gross sand filter

 

[crokett]

See, I’m hard core. I’d fill that filthy thing up and SLAM the begeezus out of it!

I'd start filling it and add chlorine as I go.

 

[crokett]

For the sand filter, you may have cleaned it out but I would go get the parts to connect a garden hose to it, set it to backwash turn the water on and wait. After the filter fills up with water, let it clean itself. If you're really worried, engineer a way to get bleach into the water. It might be as simple as taking the valve off and pouring some diluted bleach into the filter.