Can’t afford a leak repair - Drain the water until then?

[Tugboating]

Hi, thanks for taking the time to read my post.

My pool company confirmed I have a leak in my return pipes but I can’t fix it right now. I think it would be best for me to just drain the pool and turn off the pump and avoid further leak and pump damage from the water falling under the skimmer. I could keep filling the pool until I can afford the fix, but that seems like a PITA that’ll only worsen the problem.

What are your two cents?

 

[ajw22]

What type of pool are we discussing? Plaster? Vinyl liner? Fiberglass?

Any pool sitting without water is susceptible to damage. Plaster or fiberglass pools pop out of the ground. Walls collapse with liner pools. The weight of the water hold the pool in the ground and supports the walls.

If you don't want bigger problems keep adding water until you can fix the leak.

You can possibly run some PVC pipe above ground as an alternative return feed to the pool until you fix the leak.

 

[Tugboating]

Thanks for the idea. I’m going to turn off the pump and keep it filled enough to prevent damage, keep it ph’d and shock it if algae pops up.

 

[Newdude]

Another option is to plug the return, leave the pool filled and circulate it with a submersible pump for a half hour a day. Twice would be even better. Add chlorine as normal near the business end of the hose and brush after.

It might get a little dirty with no filtration but it won't be a swamp.