Drainage question

[Rsf507]

Hi all, We are in the process of getting quotes or a new inground vinyl liner pool, and we had a guy over yesterday and I was asking him some questions. I asked him how the pool is drained when needed, he looked at me like I had 2 heads and just said what? So I repeated, if I need to drain the pool for any reason, is there a drain installed during installation for that type of thing or how does it work? He just looked at me and said you will never drain your pool. I asked what if the water gets terrible or something, he again said you will never drain your pool, it would damage the liner.

Is this true? I have been lurking here for a little while and see multiple posts of people who need to drain due to high CYA or something else similar, so how can this be possible. When the pool is installed, should there be a plan for draining it done then? I mean, it will at least need to be drained every so often when a new liner is needed. Any help is appreciated, thanks guys!

 

[Texas Splash]

Basically he is correct. You would never want to completely drain the pool because once the pool is installed, filled, and settled, removing too much water could cause the liner to shift or pull away from the walls/trim. In some areas with a high water table, upward pressure causes problems as well. When you close in the winter, you'll lower the water a bit for winterization reasons, but that's it. If the pool goes green from algae, you'll use the SLAM Process to clear it. In really bad cases we may recommend lowering down to about 18" or two feet, or maybe no lower than the last step, but that's it. Now if/when a new liner is installed, you will empty the pool completely either by pumping water to waste from a main drain via a multiport valve from the filter (if equipped) or with a separate sump pump. Hope that helps.

 

[Catanzaro]

A pool design should take into consideration high water tables, which would lead a pool company to install drains, pumps, etc. If you follow the TFP methodology and listen to no one else, the probability of you ever having to drain your pool is slim to none, unless a complete liner change. I exchange maybe 10% of the water annually (1,500 gallons) with city water as the rain water pretty much takes care of filling the pool. IMO, the most important thing is to have the pool designed properly so "circulation" is not the issue, which means you have a main drain (optional), skimmers, and enough returns to move the water properly. This will eliminate 99% of your issues if you maintain the proper CYA/FC ratio. The other 99% is testing with a recommended kit. Essentially, both are just equally important. Good luck and keep us posted.