When is dewatering necessary around our fiberglass pool?

[lisab1121]

Newbie pool owner here; we just installed our fiberglass pool in August. We live in an area with clay soil, and have had standing water in our yard in the past during heavy rain. Fortunately, before they dug for the pool it had been dry for some period of time and they didn't hit water when installing. When we checked the dewatering pipe after install, we could barely see any water.

We just had a long day of heavy rain, and the dewatering hole is now filled up to less than 3 feet from the top. We were told not to let that water line go higher than the pool water line. We're expecting more rain today. How close can it get to the pool water line before there's an issue, and is there a "best practice" of say, keeping the water below 3 feet, 4 feet etc. - at a certain level?

Also given how quickly it seemed to rise, I'm concerned that going forward if there's a rainy period or snowy winter that we're going to need to be constantly pumping water out...are there permanent dewatering systems that might make more sense?

Thank you!

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! At this point you should have a couple items to protect your investment. The dewatering hole is one. Is there a pump in it so you can try to remove access water? Also, did your installer install a drain with a hydrostatic valve to relieve excess pressure from below? Were there any other flood-preventing measures taken by the installer to relieve excess water in/around the pool shell?

 

[lisab1121]

Welcome to TFP! At this point you should have a couple items to protect your investment. The dewatering hole is one. Is there a pump in it so you can try to remove access water? Also, did your installer install a drain with a hydrostatic valve to relieve excess pressure from below? Were there any other flood-preventing measures taken by the installer to relieve excess water in/around the pool shell?

Thank you!
Appreciate the info and questions. There is not a pump in it yet, we are purchasing one today.
I don't know if a hydrostatic valve was installed, I will ask.
We were told to not let the water in the hole go higher than the pool water level. What we didn't know is if it was a best practice to just drain it anyway when we see water in it. In speaking with the pool tech today, he recommended to drain when it reaches 12 inches from the top.
They will install an automatic dewatering system now, after the fact, if we would like one. I think we're going to wait to see how often we need to pump water out before deciding if the hassle of that is enough that we want to have it done automatically.

 

[Bperry]

Thank you!
Appreciate the info and questions. There is not a pump in it yet, we are purchasing one today.
I don't know if a hydrostatic valve was installed, I will ask.
We were told to not let the water in the hole go higher than the pool water level. What we didn't know is if it was a best practice to just drain it anyway when we see water in it. In speaking with the pool tech today, he recommended to drain when it reaches 12 inches from the top.
They will install an automatic dewatering system now, after the fact, if we would like one. I think we're going to wait to see how often we need to pump water out before deciding if the hassle of that is enough that we want to have it done automatically.

You should not wait until it gets close to the top. What if it rains unexpectedly or you forget for a day? Ideally there shouldn’t be any water in there so I’d drain it out whenever I found water in there.

 

[Texas Splash]

They will install an automatic dewatering system now, after the fact, if we would like one.

It's good to hear your builder is receptive to this. I would consider taking them up on that offer. Things can change later and you may no longer be a priority for them.