I was told we could drain our pool using the waste setting on the sand filter. We turned the valve to drain, but air kept being pumped through one skimmer. We blocked it, and that worked until the water level reached the holes in the pool wall below the skimmers. We have a caretaker system with a leaf trapper. Any help would be appreciated.
Using the waste setting to drain pool with leaf trapper
- Thread starter lcsunny
- Start date
Welcome to TFP!
It isn't always very easy to drain a pool with the main pool pump. The simplest case is when you have a main drain and you can adjust the valves so water is only drawn from the main drain. Once the water gets too low and the pump stops for any reason, it is often impossible to get the pump restarted.
Is there somewhere near the pool that is lower than the bottom of the pool? If so you could use a garden hose to make a syphon to drain the pool.
You didn't say what kind of pool you have. Fiberglass and vinyl liner pools should not be drained lower than about one foot of water in the shallow end, and no kind of pool should be drained too far if you have a high ground water table.
It isn't always very easy to drain a pool with the main pool pump. The simplest case is when you have a main drain and you can adjust the valves so water is only drawn from the main drain. Once the water gets too low and the pump stops for any reason, it is often impossible to get the pump restarted.
Is there somewhere near the pool that is lower than the bottom of the pool? If so you could use a garden hose to make a syphon to drain the pool.
You didn't say what kind of pool you have. Fiberglass and vinyl liner pools should not be drained lower than about one foot of water in the shallow end, and no kind of pool should be drained too far if you have a high ground water table.
Thank you! Glad to find this forum! I take care of the pool myself, and sometimes it's hard to find reliable answers. We have a plaster (colored) pool; 35K gal. The sand filter was installed in 2008, previously when we have drained the pool (because of high saturation index), we have rented a submersible pump. There is a main drain in the deep end. The pool was built in 1993. The pool sits at the water table; the deck is actually raised about 2 feet above the ground. There is some sort of mechanism installed at the drain to fill it with ground water if it empties to keep it from "floating."
In 2004, we had the pool replastered. They damaged the built in drain to the caretaker, and the leaf trapper hasn't functioned correctly since then.
I would appreciate any other ideas.
Thanks
In 2004, we had the pool replastered. They damaged the built in drain to the caretaker, and the leaf trapper hasn't functioned correctly since then.
I would appreciate any other ideas.
Thanks
Using a sump pump is the most straightforward.
You might be able to rig a vacuum hose to one of the skimmers and put the other end at the bottom of the pool, but I suspect that the water level is already too low and you won't be able to get the pump primed.
You might be able to rig a vacuum hose to one of the skimmers and put the other end at the bottom of the pool, but I suspect that the water level is already too low and you won't be able to get the pump primed.