Extremely Neglected In-Ground Pool - HELP

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Soozeeq89

New member
Jun 23, 2019
4
Buffalo, New York
My family home has an old concrete pool - deep end is deeper than current allowable regulations. Hasn't been used since MAYBE 2003, more likely 2001/02. It was never dreamed, just covered and forgotten. It's a literal swamp right now. Plants, trees, frog population. We want to fix it instead of fill it. My husband is ex-pool construction with 10+ years experience but no experience with pools like this. ANYTHING could be in that water. I've read about trash pumps, but concerned about what factors I need to be aware of before making the decision to use one. Also would consider hiring someone, but unsure what kind of service would be able to clear out a pool neglected for 16-18 years. Most of the surrounding clean up we will do ourselves. My biggest concern is draining it and what could be in that pool. Lots of deer where we are and they easily jump the existing chain-link fence.
Any suggestions/advice is extremely welcome.
 
You have to drain it because there’s simply no way to know if there’s any structural integrity left to the shell. If it has a main drain (old style single drain) I doubt the hydrostatic relief valve works anymore. So groundwater is an issue - if you drain it, be prepared to use a concrete drill to punch a couple of 2” holes into the shell. If you don’t and the surrounding ground is saturated with water, the pool will pop out of the ground.

You need a gas-driven trash pump with suction and discharge hoses capable of handling the flow and you need a place to discharge the water to. Once the pool is drained, then you can make a better decision as to how much remediation is needed and what that will cost.

Do note though that if you remodel the pool you will likely be required to bring up everything to current pool code. If a single main drain is present, you’d need to convert it to VGBA-compliant drain (two drains, separated to avoid suction entrapment).

Any pictures you can share?
 
Welcome! :wave: Wow, yes, pics would be nice on this one. By the way, you wouldn't be the first to discover large critters in the pool. We've seen many others in the same "green" boat as you who pulled-out a carcass or two after move-in. In the end, the results are fabulous. I agree with Matt above in that a drain would be ideal, but before doing so, make sure to update your signature with all of your pool and equipment info. See our signatures as examples. It helps to know what type of filter (and/or filter valve) you have as well. If punching a hole in the bottom isn't an option, we may have an alternative to a total drain. It's not as efficient or quick, but it may help. We'll see as we learn more about your situation.
 
We helped with a "swamp" last summer. There were cattails and all kinds of water plant growth in it. Along with "swamp" critters.......fish, frogs, turtles, etc. He got a medium size kiddie pool to put the critters in. He then used 5 gal buckets to take them to a pond a couple of miles from the house.

Pull out the plants out that you can reach from the side of the pool. Know they will be heavy with water and may be stinky as well. Think ahead of how you will be getting rid of this mess in the end. Removing the plants will help you get the critters out easier.

Then the draining begins. That has already been covered.

You KNOW we NEED to see a pic of this. We love helping and watching this kind of thing happen!

Kim:kim:
 
I will figure out the signature at some point...all the equipment is older, so I'd have to go dig it all up or try to ask my grandpa and see if he remembers anything.
Pictures were hard to get, as it's very overgrown. No one has bothered to even trim anything over the years. I attached one image that I think gives you the best idea of what we're dealing with.
 

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I don't know how much of the project we'll be able to get done this season, but I'm definitely planning to clear out all of not most of the plants, including trees that the squirrels so generously helped to plant. I will post more pics as I'm able to get better views!
 
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Wow, that would be one of the most interesting recoveries we have seen. :shock:

Given that it is full of water, there may not be significant structural issues, but impossible to tell.
Step one is to pull out anything solid you can.
 

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OH!
MY!
GOSH!!!!!
:sick:

Wow.....just.....wow.


Phase 1 - Clear out that forest growing there.
Phase 2 - ???
.
(GNOMES)
.
Phase N - BEAUTIFUL BACKYARD OASIS!!

Hope that helps. You might want to check with your State’s environmental department ... it could be protected wetlands by now ....
 
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Wow! Lots of work ahead for sure. This could be a great transformation. Really hope you can take us thru this experience. There’s lots of sediment under there for sure where a normal pump will have a hard time pumping. I would use a solids handling pump with some type of screen to help drop that level down to where you can maybe stand then get the bigger stuff out. I’ve cleaned tanks in similar situations. You can also get long boards that would reach across to get the trees and bushes by pulling them out. Do not stand on what’s left of liner. Not sure how you feel about Roundup but I would use something similar to it to stop some of the growth around the perimeter of pool from continued growth taking over while a plan is in the works. Really wish you the best, this could be rewarding in the end. Would be cool to see an old picture from back then.
 
Or at a minimum, pump only the liquid out and use shovels for the rest. It wasn't officially filled in, but nature has tried it's best.

BTW - great picture of the 'before'.
 

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