Sump Pump Question

[cna91]

Hello all...New B here. I learned the lesson that close to level is not close enough for our new Intex 24'X52" AGP. Now I want to drain it and start over...However if I drain it where it sits..I will have a big mess. (Lots of dark clay content in our yard, and our neighbors inground pool lies in the path if I just let it go) So I want to pump it to the street. Problem is, the street is about 150' from the pool, with about a 6 to 10 foot rise. Any idea what size/kind of pump and hose I need to get it that far?

I guess if I had to I could just pump it to different parts of the yard, it will just take forever. Luckily it is over 95 degrees and not humid right now and we havent seen rain in weeks, so I guess the pool can take the place of the sprinklers right now. But if I could pump it to the street, that would be best for once the yard is soggy.

Any and all suggestions welcome. Thanks for your time.

 

[Durk]

There are a lot of ways to skin that cat. It's all in the trade-offs of cost and time. You could probably use your filter pump for the job, but you would need a hose of 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter, depending on the size of the pump. The good news is just about anything can be made to work, if it is big enough--black poly, vacuum hose, sump pump hose, the blue rolls of pool waste hose, whatever. I would look around for what I could borrow and be prepared to string it together with double barb fittings and hose clamps.

You could also use garden hose if that is readily available, but it would require a smaller pump, such as a 1/3 hp sump pump and a lot more time. 150' length and 10' rise is not that big a deal. A cover pump (1/5hp) is probably too small, but even that might get the job done in a week or so. 14000 gallons is not that much water, if you are not in a hurry. A lousy 100 gph and you are done in a week. Your filter pump could do it in less than a day with a decent hose. If it can turn the water over through a filter in a day, it can drain it as you require.

 

[1jjtroutbum]

Anyway to rent a 2.5 inch or 3inch trash pump and enough discharge hose? Would have plenty of oomph to get it done well before a half days rental would be up. Be sure to get a screened suction line tho has enough suck to ruin a liner.

 

[TimS]

Having done this myself, I have to comment on the blue waste hoses. They're cheap, but they're not very strong. When I had to drain mine last year, I used several waste hoses hooked together, but I also used a spare filter pump that I have laying around. I put the second pump part way up the hill to help pull the water up, and reduce the stress on the waste hoses, but I still kept springing leaks. About every twenty minutes I'd have to shut everything down and repair a hose rupture. Without the second pump, I doubt that I would have gotten the water up the hill at all.

Those hoses are not designed to operate under even moderate pressure, and trying to lift that much water 10' creates a too much pressure at the bottom. YMMV.

 

[cna91]

That wouldnt put too much pressure on the pool pump? And on that same token, would I submerge the pump ot just run a longer intake tube?

If I decided to go the sump pump route, somewhere between 1/2 to 1 HP would be okay? Sorry, but I have never used one before and thought I would ask before wasting money.

 

[Durk]

Having done this myself, I have to comment on the blue waste hoses. They're cheap, but they're not very strong. When I had to drain mine last year, I used several waste hoses hooked together, but I also used a spare filter pump that I have laying around. I put the second pump part way up the hill to help pull the water up, and reduce the stress on the waste hoses, but I still kept springing leaks. About every twenty minutes I'd have to shut everything down and repair a hose rupture. Without the second pump, I doubt that I would have gotten the water up the hill at all.

Those hoses are not designed to operate under even moderate pressure, and trying to lift that much water 10' creates a too much pressure at the bottom. YMMV.

I agree. When I did something similar, I strung together all the types I mentioned in this order, 1) black poly, 2) vacuum hose 3) plastic sump hose, and 4) blue stuff at the end. I definitely wouldn't use it at the beginning, but it CAN be used successfully at the low pressure (discharge) end, especially if you are then past the high point.

 

[cna91]

Just incase anyone is in need of this info...I ended up with a 1/2 HP pump, and adapted a 3/4" hose to run it to the street. It is taking a couple days, but it is getting there.

In the future, I will be getting the bigger hoses, pipes, whatever. My patience has never been my virtue.....