How to drain your pool... redneck engineering.

mac.dblues · Jun 21, 2014

So, we figured out our CYA was through the roof. Had to drain today and had decided we would use the filter pump to pump through the waste port on the sand filter. We disconnected our suction line from our Hayward skimmer and put it back on the factory suction port. It pumped down pretty quickly to there. So we attached the vacuum hose and weighted it down on the bottom of the pool and started the pump again. This worked great until we got about two inches below the suction port and we figured out that the intex pump was not designed to lift water.

We tried to attach a water hose to the drain at the bottom of the pool but apparently you have to have an adapter to do so. So, I pushed the vacuum hose onto the drain port and taped it up with electrical tape. Now this was working just fine but I am a bit impatient and am all about more power. Argh, Argh, Argh. I grew up watching home improvement with Tim the tool man Taylor, I can't help it.

So how to hurry the rest of the water out of the pool?

Remove the suction port and plunger valve from the pool. Leave vacuum hose connected and taped to the drain hole on bottom of the pool. Reattach other end of vacuum hose to suction port you removed from pool. Set pump to waste, open your plunger valve, let your pump prime and turn it on. Not sure how slow it was draining by itself but I went to pumping 5 gallons in 22 seconds. That is 818 gallons per hour which in our pool is 4 inches per hour. Much better. Here are the pics...

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mas985 · Jun 21, 2014

Gravity drain time from the bottom is 229 minutes = ~5 hours, average 41 GPM

There are calculators online for that:

http://www.freecalc.com/drresult.ht...0&inSize=0&reducer=0&redSize=0&dirty=0&angle=

I think going through the pump might have slowed it down.

mac.dblues · Jun 21, 2014

mas985 said:
Gravity drain time from the bottom is 229 minutes = ~5 hours, average 41 GPM

There are calculators online for that:

http://www.freecalc.com/drresult.ht...0&inSize=0&reducer=0&redSize=0&dirty=0&angle=

I think going through the pump might have slowed it down.

Nice Math, but the Intex has a 1" outlet (actually, it is probably a 25mm since everything else is metric on it. The hose was slightly loose hence the tape). Also, I only had my 25 foot vacuum hose and that drastically drops flow rate. I also pulled directly from the suction port using the 1.5" hoses to drop the first foot or so of water. Those changes choke flow rate down to 9.99 GPM according to the website you supplied. Pump kicked it up to 13 GPM.

- - - Updated - - -

Naturally the flow slows down the closer to empty the pool gets...

Divin Dave · Jun 21, 2014

Dude, I gotta tell ya, I got to admire a man with some know how and the ability to think outside the box! nicely done.

Also, Tim the Tool Man rocks! arg arg arg!

mac.dblues said:
So, we figured out our CYA was through the roof. Had to drain today and had decided we would use the filter pump to pump through the waste port on the sand filter. We disconnected our suction line from our Hayward skimmer and put it back on the factory suction port. It pumped down pretty quickly to there. So we attached the vacuum hose and weighted it down on the bottom of the pool and started the pump again. This worked great until we got about two inches below the suction port and we figured out that the intex pump was not designed to lift water.

We tried to attach a water hose to the drain at the bottom of the pool but apparently you have to have an adapter to do so. So, I pushed the vacuum hose onto the drain port and taped it up with electrical tape. Now this was working just fine but I am a bit impatient and am all about more power. Argh, Argh, Argh. I grew up watching home improvement with Tim the tool man Taylor, I can't help it.

So how to hurry the rest of the water out of the pool?

Remove the suction port and plunger valve from the pool. Leave vacuum hose connected and taped to the drain hole on bottom of the pool. Reattach other end of vacuum hose to suction port you removed from pool. Set pump to waste, open your plunger valve, let your pump prime and turn it on. Not sure how slow it was draining by itself but I went to pumping 5 gallons in 22 seconds. That is 818 gallons per hour which in our pool is 4 inches per hour. Much better. Here are the pics...

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

mas985 · Jun 21, 2014

If you step up the pipe size right at the connector, you should get better than 13 GPM. If you assume a reducer to 1" with 25' of 1.5" flex pipe, you get over 20 GPM average.

http://www.freecalc.com/drresult.ht...0&inSize=0&reducer=1&redSize=1&dirty=0&angle=

mac.dblues · Jun 21, 2014

Divin Dave said:
Dude, I gotta tell ya, I got to admire a man with some know how and the ability to think outside the box! nicely done.

Also, Tim the Tool Man rocks! arg arg arg!

thanks Dave!

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mac.dblues · Jun 21, 2014

mas985 said:
If you step up the pipe size right at the connector, you should get better than 13 GPM. If you assume a reducer to 1" with 25' of 1.5" flex pipe, you get over 20 GPM average.

http://www.freecalc.com/drresult.ht...0&inSize=0&reducer=1&redSize=1&dirty=0&angle=

assume instead, a 1 inch outlet and change your initial water depth to 3' instead of 4'. and go with an 1 1/4" hose instead of an 1 1/2" hose and you will see the pump will increase flow beyond gravitational draining. that 1 foot lower starting point really makes a huge difference.

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mas985 · Jun 21, 2014

I think it turns out to be about the same flow rate (~12 GPM). The web site does not allow for 1 1/4" plumbing but you can use 1.5" pipe and increase the length by 2.2x (ratio of head loss).

http://www.freecalc.com/drresult.ht...0&inSize=0&reducer=1&redSize=1&dirty=0&angle=