Where can I find someone to help take down my pool?

[inkybrown]

Hi,
I have an Intex 9X18 vinyl ultra frame pool. Last summer I used it constantly, so I decided to leave it up and winterize. This summer I think I spent more time cleaning than actually in the water. I want to take it down this winter, if I may not even worry with it next summer (my pool spent about 8 years in the shed after the first 2 seasons I used it, it is so much trouble for a single person to manage). I don't know how to find help doing this. I live alone and I don't even know how to access the drain you're supposed to drain the water into. I called Leslie's Pool and they do not do take-downs. They said to look for the P-trap but I don't even know how to do that. Also the water is growing mosquitos now so I need to act fast. Where do y'all go to find help like this? Should I just post an ad on Craigslist asking for help? Not sure I want a stranger in my backyard.
Thanks,
Amy
Fort Worth, TX

 

[mknauss]

Neighbors? Family?

You should look for a cleanout for your sewer. Typically a 4" pipe straight up out of the ground with a screw cap in it. Normally to the streetside of your home.

Take care.

 

[JannaLeAnn]

I had a 14x48 Intex last summer, and at the end of summer, purchased a 26x52. I posted on a community page on FaceBook that I had the 14x48, free to whoever wanted to come and take it down. It was a few years old. Didn't take long for a response. A family took it down, excited to have it. I am also single, I'm an older mom of an 8-yr-old adopted daughter, and I have a health history that included 11 abdominal surgeries in a 4-yr time period. I hire help through FB groups, I avoid Craigslist. I do live in a small town, so it's easier to stay local on FB by finding a closed group where each member has proved a link to the community before being accepted. I also find if someone responds who is "shady" someone else will private message me with a warning. I have hired teenagers and young adults to help me put up holiday decorations, rake leaves, etc. If a teenager responds, I ask for their parents' contact info and talk to a parent first. Perhaps you can find a neighborhood group or a group associated with a nearby church or school.

 

[inkybrown]

Thanks for the suggestions. I didn't know about Facebook posting for things like that!

 

[inkybrown]

I would try to hook up a hose and at least start draining, but I cannot find my city's policy on draining pools. I have done multiple internet searches and searches on the Fort Worth code website. Short of calling them to specifically ask, what should I do? Where do most people drain their pools? My house was built in the 1940s and as far as I can tell does not have any drainage plumbing around the house.

 

[mknauss]

A home that old may have the cleanout inside, like a crawl space or basement.

Do you have storm drains? That would be my second choice. Some cities do not allow it, but if you are unable to find any guidance, you can always plead ignorance if there is an issue.

Other option is an open field next to your home.

Take care.

 

[inkybrown]

I live in the city, no fields, no basement either! My dad suggested draining to my yard but that's 5,000 gallons. It would drain slowly though... When you say storm drain, do you mean in the gutter? We do have drains every so often in the gutters but not close enough that I could drain directly there.

 

[mknauss]

Yes, the gutter. I would assume it will go to a storm drain? The water is not harmful. If you wish to try draining to your yard, that is ok. Just be aware of flooding your neighbors or your own property.

 

[inkybrown]

I couldn't find that darn Intex part that lets you attach the garden hose to the bottom drain. It was selling for $25 on Amazon! So I went to Lowes and got a backwash hose that I attached to my pump, set to waste. I even asked the guy at Lowes if that would work. Well duh! It only drained the pool to the level of the intake hose. So I ordered the part of Intex website, who knows how long that will take...
I did notice, driving around last night, that my neighborhood does NOT have any storm drains. Just curb. Not sure where the water will go!

 

[mknauss]

You could use a hose as a siphon. But having the part to drain with is easier.

If you have curbs, the water must go somewhere. Has to be a collection pond or drain or something.

Take care.