How to drain 25% off my pool

[meestahmarc]

Was chatting with my 8 year old daughter, telling her I need to change some of the water to fix my chlorine issue... Then we got wondering, if the water level goes below the skimmer how will I get water out and to the pump? Is there a different way to drain the pool. My valves only swap over to pull from either skimmers or the floor drain in the jacuzzi... Not sure where the main drain is connected to. I have an Anthony mountain. Lake pool from the 80's. Thanks.

 

[ajw22]

You need to buy or rent a submersible pump. See this thread Is this an ok submersible water pump to buy?

 

[sktn77a]

Depending on how your drain/skimmer is plumbed, you should be able to close off the skimmer and only take water from the main drain. If not, you will need a submersible (sump) pump.

 

[Adamphotoman]

My last pool did not have a Main Floor Drain so I put the vacuum line in the skimmer [line full of water]. I put the vacuum head on a long weighted pole handle, turned it upside down and placed it in the deep end. Be care full though. Stay around keeping an eye on the rig. If the line into the skimmer becomes unattached you potentially will run the pump dry.

The good is that you will drain your 25 % pool water much faster than using a submersible.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

A cheaper way, and a good lesson for your daughter, is to make a siphon out of a hose. As long as you have a low spot in the yard or drain that you can dump the water in to all you would need is a hose.

If you don't know how to siphon, YouTube has lots of videos.

Maddie

 

[blakeusa]

Use a vac hose to siphon out some water. Put one end to a safe drain spot and the other end hold it over a return to push water through the hose and once it's flowing just let the hose go under water...

 

[Dirk]

If you decide to siphon, fix the end of the hose in the pool at about the spot you want to stop siphoning. Like drop it 2' into the water, and put some weight on the hose on the deck. That way, you don't have to keep such a close eye on it. Or if you're like me and can't keep track of what you were doing five minutes ago, you won't forget, or fall asleep, and drain your entire pool! Once the water hits the mark, it'll "automatically" stop siphoning.

Yes... I need constant supervision...

 

[Dirk]

Oh, not to be the voice of doom, but someone should caution: draining water out of a pool can range from absolutely no problems, to minor to major problems, to the complete destruction of your entire yard. One guy trashed his liner pool just by dropping the water level a few inches.

I don't know what an "Anthony mountain. Lake pool" is. Is that concrete? Or vinyl?

How is your water table? Is the area around your pool, to the depth of your pool, completely void of underground water?

Just pointing out: you should understand the risks and ramifications of lowering your pool's water level before you do it.

Worst case: you can exchange water in a pool without lowering the level at all.

 

[meestahmarc]

Thanks all for the feedback, very helpful ideas... How do change water without lowering the level, just add and subtract at the same rate. I have a high water table here for sure... Pool is gunite.

 

[mknauss]

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.