Draining and refilling vinyl liner pool at startup

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E

EnoughToBeDangerous

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Gold Supporter
Oct 4, 2018
84
Long Island, NY
Pool Size
25000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Autopilot Digital PPC1 (RC-35)
I have a vinyl liner pool, the liner is about 11 years old, but has given me no trouble and perhaps it can hold up a few more seasons. However last year I had a bit of a headache with Iron. I'd like like to replace some of the water to reduce the iron, and I think it would be smart to do so before I open the pool to avoid wasting chemicals and time, or putting the pool out of service after it's open.

The question is, what is the best way to accomplish this without damaging the liner. Some internet sources suggest I can safely drain the pool down to about 1 foot in the shallow end without damage to the liner. Is this a reliable claim, or should I drain less than this? The less water I drain, before refilling, the less iron will be removed, and if it takes multiple cycles I will end up using a lot more water which is metered. So what do folks here think would be reasonable?
 
Thanks for your response! I believe the Iron is coming from patio furniture and other items in the pool surround area that rust and runoff into the pool during heavy rain. My plumbing is brass pipe(I know unusual) with some modern sections in copper tube. The water is from a municipal supply. There are no iron pipes or iron components in the system. A test strip indicate no iron in the tap water, although I have no experience with the accuracy of such strips. The tap water is very hard.

Does anyone have an results on how much they decreased dissolved solids using the exchange method?

Edit: The water company says the average in our distribution area is 36 ug/L, although it could be different. Municipal water supply piping was installed in the 1980s.
 
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Protecting your liner from UV is the primary concern. You are probably just fine but that's an OLD liner and I would get it back under water as quickly as possible.........24 hours if you can do it.

ajw22's suggestion about the no drain exchange is what I would do. Maximum protection for that old liner and the water bill should not be excessive if you calculate it.

Total Dissolved Solids are not really relevant using TFP methods......I would ignore them

If your decking drains (iron content) INTO the pool, that's a big problem
 
Ok thanks, I'm thinking what I will try is to keep the winter cover mostly on for the UV protection and do the job quick with a big pump.

TDS isn't a number I've used in water chemistry, but what I really mean was any dissolved solids, to see how effected the water turnover was. For example the before and after salt content could help determine how much water actually was exchange. As a contractor, I'd be more nervous about the old liner, but as the owner of a liner that likely has only a few years left, I think it is less of a risk than with a recently installed liner.

With respect to the decking, it drains away from the pool. I have contemplated where the iron comes from, and I can't see how else it is getting in. In very heavy wind and rain I can imagine some materials from the deck getting into the pool and the iron building up over time, but I could be wrong about this. I have checked my plumbing, and all the pool equipment and did not find an obvious source.

Would appreciate any additional suggestions.

Thanks!
 
Ok so I have another question on this topic. Whether doing drain and refill or exchange, I need to drain a significant amount of water from the pool. My pool drains to a drywell, and has no main drain. There is no sewer system in our area. Where is it advisable to drain the water? The town code does not seem to prohibit discharging pool water if it's not chlorinated(which it isn't since the pool has been closed for the off season). But would it be smart to drain it onto the lawn? Should I pump it into the drywell and just let it go where it goes when it gets full?
 
Is your street paved?

Where does storm runoff go from your street?

If your town has no restrictions I would pump it out to your street and the water will be handles like storm runoff.
 
The street is indeed paved, there isn't a storm sewer system so I presume it runs downhill and eventually drains into the ground. However some areas do have issues with water pooling in the road or at the bottom of a driveway. If it's rainwater there's no one to blame for it. I guess maybe I just need to be careful it's not pumped too fast as to cause a problem somewhere.
 
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