Can't find draining valve

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arielpool

arielpool

0
Gold Supporter
Sep 19, 2018
98
Las Vegas / NV
Pool Size
14000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Hi !

I’m a proud owner of a house with a seemingly old pool. I'm new to pool ownership and the forum.

This is an inground pool. I’m learning a lot about maintenance but have hit some walls here and there. One of the main issues I'm facing now is to drain (or at least partially drain) the pool in order to get started and control the crazy readings I'm getting:

TH: 1000
TC: 10
FC: 3
pH: 6.2
TA: 0
CYA: 150

I can't find any drain valve on the system and I'm left thinking that the only way to drain the pool would be with a sump pump (would want to avoid if possible) or through the release valve on the filter.

I can post photos of the system if that would help.

Thanks!

 
Welcome to the forum! :handshake:

Here in the desert it is not the best idea to drain a pool during the warm months. In December and January it is OK, but you still have the potential for plaster damage.

You can exchange some water without draining.

If you place a low volume sub pump in the deep end and pull water from there while adding water in the shallow end (through a skimmer or into a bucket on a step so you lessen the water disturbance) you can do a fairly efficient exchange. That is assuming the water you are filling with is the same temperature or warmer than your pool water. If your fill water is much cooler than your pool water, then switch it. Add the water to the deep end (hose on bottom) and pull water from the top step.

The location of the pump and fill hose may change if you have salt water, high calcium, etc.
In my pool, with saltwater and high calcium when I drain, I put the pump in the deep end and hose in shallow end. The water in the pool weighs more per unit volume than the fill water from the hose.

Be sure to balance the water out and water in so the pool level stays the same. Also be sure your pool pump is disabled during this process. Once started do not stop until you have exchanged the amount of water you wish.

Most systems have a spigot after the pump. But that is still not a good way to drain a complete pool as you use your pool pump and once you go below the skimmer, you are subject to losing prime and destroying your pump.

I suggest you read Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry and consider reviewing the entire Trouble Free Pool School book.
 
:wave: Welcome to TFP!!!

Cartridge filters do not generally have a waste pipe for draining. One common option is to add a 3-way valve between the pump and the filter that would then allow you to pump to waste.

A messier option is to remove the cartridge from your filter (or not) and then open the drain plug on the filter and let the water shoot out.

Or, just get a cheap submersible from Harbor Freight.
 
A,

Welcome to TFP... A great place to find the answers to all of your "draining" questions.... :shark:

You have a cartridge filter, which does not use a multiport valve and therefore you have no built-in drain...

You may have what looks like a faucet on the output of the pump. If you do, you can connect a garden hose and use it to drain your pool just to the bottom of your skimmer.

A sump pump is really your best option... They are cheap, and can pump out a lot of water, without having to run your pool pump. You can even rent one...

Another option is to siphon water out, just like you used to do when you stole gas from your neighbor's car... Oh, wait, that might have been me.. :p

If your CYA is 150, you will need to drain at least 50% of your water.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Pool equipment pics here: Amazon Drive !!


Hi guys! Thank you very much for welcoming me to the forum and for your quick and very informative questions! You're truly making me a believer :)


1) In terms of exchanging water from the pool -which seems the most reasonable way to do this in hot Vegas-, my pool has an Auto-Fill Valve, which I'm thinking would do the same work, when opened fully, as using a garden hose in the shallow end. Would have to read more about "water disturbance", but usually tap water is about the same temperature as the pool's.


3) The messier way is what I was thinking to do, but after reading mknauss' answer, I'm more inclined to simply buy the sub-pump and then maybe reading more about how to plan in plumbing the three-way valve between the pump and the filter later on or something similar which would make the process more "integrated".


4) there doesn't seem to be any faucet on the output of the pump. I'm attaching pictures to see if you guys could help me clarify. I would still want to have solve the mystery of not finding a waste or draining outlet in the system. :)


5) as the CYA is high, was thinking of doing the water exchange in steps, measuring CYA after each step, as this process will take long.
 
The auto fill only adds water in a very slow stream. The exchange I was describing normally happens at about 10 gpm. Plus the auto fill inlet to the pool is normally 1' or so below surface.

Temperature is not as important with your pool water as the Calcium in the pool. A CH of 1000 ppm makes the weight per unit volume of the water in your pool higher than your tap water.

I would not bother adding a valve for the future. In our climate, you will never drain small amounts of water. It will always be a nearly full drain.

You do not need the 'faucet' after the pump. Again, a sump pump is far safer to use.

If you do your exchange in small steps, you will use an exponentially larger amount of water. Say you remove 10% of your water and replace. Your CH will go down by just a few ppm. To manage your CH, you must do large drains or exchanges to effect your chemistry.
 
Ordered the sump pump ("utility pump" was called)!!

ok, so a garden hose it is.

I'm confused on this - why would, in general, the weight of the water in the pool vs the one in the tap water matter in this water-exchange process?

Care to explain why it will always be a nearly full drain? Is this a process I would have to repeat often (I guess it depends on water chemistry).

Thanks!
 
Your pool water has a lot more calcium in it than the tap water. That makes it heavier per unit volume. Thus for an exchange, you pull the heavier water from the deep end and put the lighter tap water at the surface.

I state a full drain or exchange because you will do it because of calcium buildup. You can do partial ones, but you will have to do them often and manage the chemistry after each one. Such as adding CYA, lowering TA, etc.

- - - Updated - - -

I have to exchange my water about every 18 months. You will most likely be able to go longer if you properly manage your water chemistry.
 
Looking at your numbers, if what I'm reading is right you have 3 ppm free chlorine and 10 ppm total chlorine. So that indicates you probably have some kind of algae problem, most likely related to your high CYA and not having enough chlorine in the pool to compensate.

So as you are doing your water replacement, read up on Pool School and plan to do a SLAM once you are done to get your pool cleaned up so you can maintain it the TFP way going forward. Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain
 

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So I've done three water exchanges so far and still getting above 100 CYA using Taylor K-2005.

Have brushed the pool walls with a iron brush but today I can see algae in the bottom. Want to SLAM the pool, but waiting for the CYA levels to go down.

Any more ideas on how to lower the CYA levels faster? As per mknausss I should not empty the pool completely without risking plaster damage.
 
Well, in some locations they get massive amounts of rain which dilutes the cya build up In addition to having a very short season before a partial drain for winter.

In drier climates with longer pool Seasons and no closing for winter, it certainly does not make sense to use tablets.
 
domct203 said:
You can’t properly SLAM with a DPD test kit. You need a FAS/DPD kit.
Click to expand...

Yep, repeated the tests on my K-2006 and was the same. Luckily I'm around 60 now. Temps are lower, and I seem to be getting less algae in general. Still haven't managed to dedicate time to do my first SLAM, though I Chlorinate from time to time and water seems sparkly clean (nobody using it now), after the recent water exchanges. I think I'm heading in the right direction overall :)
 
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