In this guide, I’ll outline when, how, and where to drain your pool and refill it with water. Again, time is of the essence, so let’s get going.

Why Would You Need to Drain a Swimming Pool?

There are only a handful of circumstances that call for draining your pool, and even then, it should only really be necessary occasionally. Consider carefully whether you really need to complete this task if any of the following don’t apply to you. Hey, I love saving you time and money whenever I can, and this is one of those times.

To Reset the Water

Imagine that the chemical balance of your water has gotten so out of hand that you are ready to start over. Everybody experiences that, so it makes sense. Your pool’s water has undoubtedly been sitting there for a while, but that’s why we add chemicals like chlorine and other sanitizers.

The leftovers of these chemicals, combined with dirt, debris, and other contaminants, are one factor to take into account that cannot simply be blasted away with what you add to your pool. Total dissolved solids (TDS) are what we refer to as these, and when they accumulate over time, they can significantly alter the chemistry of your water.

A digital meter or test strips can be used to check your TDS level. It’s time to give your pool a much-needed drain and start over once it reaches approximately 2,5000 parts per million (ppm).

Optimal circulation is one key to achieving chemical equilibrium. Try the 1.5 HP Variable Speed Blue Torrent Thunder In-Ground Swimming Pool Pump—it pays itself off with energy saved in under a year, is eligible for rebates, and also comes with a lifetime warranty. As customer Eric D says, “When I first started this pump, it operated efficiently and quickly.”

For Pool Maintenance

For the most part, we can maintain our pools while they are still filled with water. A high-performance robotic pool cleaner being unable to come into contact with water, for example, would be unreasonable. A pool must occasionally be empty though for special maintenance. This includes removing calcium deposits and severe metal stains, as well as fixing any floor cracks and repainting the pool’s bottom. You must carry out your obligations, so listen. Continue reading if draining the pool is necessary to complete the task.

Tools and Materials

Fortunately, the tools and materials needed to drain a pool are not particularly extensive. Here are the items you’ll need:

• A fully submersible pump (available for purchase or rent)
• Enough garden hose to reach from pool to drainage point
• A sump-pump to garden hose adapter (if your pump didn’t come with one)
• Replacement hydrostatic plugs
• Hammer
• Screwdriver or chisel
• Large pliers

Five-Step Checklist: When to Drain Your Pool

I will start by giving you the first and most important piece of advice: drain your pool quickly! An empty pool shouldn’t be left unattended for too long. Please keep it to a week or less, per my cap. To make sure you’re not in over your head when you do begin to drain your pool, proceed and adhere to the checklist below.

1. When You’re Ready to Pay the Bill

I hate to say it, but draining and replacing 20,000 gallons won’t be cheap. You better budget for that month’s water bill in advance, eeek.

2. When You Have the Time

Once more, you shouldn’t leave your empty pool empty for longer than a week. However, you’ll also need a lot of time during the draining procedure because it’s never a good idea to run errands while you’re moving thousands of gallons of water. It can last up to sixteen hours, but I’m estimating it will take more than eight for it to completely drain. It will take just as long to fill as well. Womp womp.

3. on a Sunny Day—But Not a Scorcher!

Although working in the rain would be the last thing you’d want to do, just because the sun is out doesn’t mean you’re safe. Your pool could be seriously damaged by that intense sunlight. If you drain the pool during a heat wave, you will notice damage ranging from cracked pool walls and floors to damaged pool liners. Make sure your empty pool is never left to sit in temperatures above 29 degrees Celsius (85 degrees Fahrenheit).

4. After Your Chemical Levels Are Down

Your water treatment can finally be put on hold. I bet you never imagined hearing me say that! In actuality, your city probably mandates that the water you drain not contain significant amounts of pool chemicals. Use test strips to make sure your water is chlorine neutral, has a neutral pH, and doesn’t have significant amounts of other chemicals before draining your pool. Contact your regional water authority for the precise levels needed.

5. Once Your Circulation System is Prepped

Imagine that your pump starts operating at any time while the draining process is in progress, draws in air instead of water, and overheats—sometimes this will even cause pumps to melt. No thanks, and picture your pool lights turning on at 7:00 to an empty pool, heating up, and shattering. Stop daydreaming now, and turn your system completely off.

You might discover that your pool wasn’t as clean as you thought once it has been drained. To properly maintain sparkingly pool floors and walls—without hurting yourself in the process—try the patented 360-Degree Bristles Black & Decker Pool Brush. It was created by experienced pool professionals to get rid of the hip and back pain brought on by one-sided brushes.

How to Drain Your Swimming Pool

It’s time to close the deal without removing the seal from your pool’s walls and floors because you are aware of the risks and how to avoid them. To drain your pool as safely as possible, follow these instructions. There are no bleak scenarios here!

1. Hook It Up: Install a Submersible Pump

Again, your standard pool pump won’t do the trick because it’s made to draw in water and will start drawing in air as soon as your pool starts to drain even slightly, causing a variety of irreparable harms. It is preferable to rent or buy a submersible pump, which isn’t exactly inexpensive but won’t break the bank.

The submersible pump should be placed on the floor in the middle of the deep end, making sure the power cord is long enough to reach from the bottom of your pool to your outlet. Avoid using extension cords if possible. The other end of the hose that is connected to the submersible pump should be placed wherever you plan to drain all of that water. If it doesn’t go all the way, you’ll have to deal with thousands of gallons of contaminated water.

2. the Moment We’ve Been Waiting For: Start Draining

Draining can begin once the submersible pump is turned on. Regardless of how long it takes, you should remain here for this section. To ensure everything is working properly and prevent a house flood, keep an eye on the cords and the hose.

To ensure that your chlorine is operating at the lowest, safest, and most consistent levels possible, you can convert your pool to saltwater while it is being drained. Make a smooth transition with the Salt Ways Eco Friendly Salt Chlorine Generator. It is extremely dependable and has a lifetime warranty.

3. Thanks for the Memories: Remove the Submersible Pump

The level of the water in your pool will eventually fall to the point where the submersible pump will no longer be able to remove any water. It is normal for there to be some water left over because you rarely need to remove all of it, and the remainder won’t affect the chemical balance of your pool in the future. Remove your submersible pump and then turn it off. Anyway, the time is right for this next move.

4. Open the Flood Gates—Or Just Your Relief Valves

It’s time to release that underground water’s pressure. To prevent your pool from popping up, make sure to open these hydrostatic pressure relief valves.

5. Do What You Need to Do

If you drained the pool to restore the chemical balance, carry out these next steps right away. If there is work that needs to be done, like painting or fixing your pool, do it right away. Utilize a robust and heavy-duty cover pump, such as the Sunnora 1500 GPH Pool Cover Pump, if you ever require a completely dry floor to complete your work. You should then proceed with these subsequent steps to refill your pool as soon as you are able, but no later than one week.

How to Refill Your Pool—In Three Steps

Let’s return to how things ought to be since a pool is meant to be filled with water. Although refilling is much simpler than draining, it still requires some time and requires that you start over with your water’s balance. Just keep in mind that once you can swim again, it will all be worthwhile.

1. Replace the Relief Valves

Don’t hesitate to replace those relief valves. You don’t want them to be open when you fill up your pool with water because that will drown out the gravel patch and create thousands of gallons of pressure. Put Teflon tape on the threads of the plug and tightly twist it into the valve.

2. Refill Your Pool and Turn on the Pump

Refill your pool with as many garden hoses as you have—one, two, three, etc. Put a hose filter on each if your water source contains a lot of metals, or you’ll have to deal with unsightly metal stains later and possibly drain your pool again. No, thanks.

3. Balance Your Water

You should start fresh with your water balancing, just as you would when opening your pool for the season. The hardest part of refilling your pool is now, but the reward will soon be clear, sparkling, and secure waters.

Is There Any Other Option?

When your pool is green and covered in chunky algae, it might seem hopeless. However, there is actually almost always another choice available. It only requires a little bit of persistence, some hard work, and the dedication to maintain your pool almost every day for up to two weeks.

Though intimidating, it’s probably still preferable to draining your pool. Your water bill after filling a 20,000-gallon pool is almost certainly less expensive than the materials you’ll need to clean your pool. If you decide to drain, keep that in mind as you make your choice.

Clearing Debris

There’s still hope if you can see the pool floor at the shallow end. The likelihood is that you can manually remove large debris if there is a lot of it. With a rake and a pool vacuum, you can probably remove even a foot of leaves from the bottom of your pool.

In most cases, you can vacuum your pool to the “waste” setting of your pump. If not, a pool company like The Pool Butler can vacuum for you using their portable equipment. In either case, there is no need to drain the pool. Just don’t panic!

Declaring Chemical Warfare on Algae

It can be frightening to observe a large algae bloom. It can be pretty disgusting to swim in a pool that is a dark green color and has floating clumps of thick, gooey algae. But you can use a variety of pool chemicals to wage war on that algae.

In all likelihood more than once, you will need to shock the pool. A substance made specifically to kill algae is known as algaecide. The water in your pool will then need to be rebalanced, which requires adding a ton of chemicals. But it can be done.

The Pool Butler can assist you if you believe that stopping this kind of chemical warfare is beyond your capacity or your desire. We are experts at pool cleaning and are on hand and prepared to de-green even the most revolting pool water.

Can Your Filter Handle It?

This is crucial when deciding whether to drain your pool or just clean the water. Thicker, extremely dirty water may be difficult for smaller filters to handle, particularly cartridge filters. You might be forced to drain the pool in that situation.

However, there is a good chance that your filter can help with your situation if you have a sizable, powerful filter, especially a DE filter. For at least a few days, you must leave it running constantly. In order to allow the DE and other debris to slough off the grid, a DE filter should be turned off for about two hours each day.

A larger filter should be able to handle this, but a small sand or cartridge filter may be overwhelmed. It’s likely that after you’re finished, you’ll need to backwash your filter.

When to Drain a Swimming Pool

You will need to drain your pool if there is too much debris in it to remove it, or if your filter can handle the cleanup even with a lot of chemicals. However, keep in mind that almost any type of pool cleaning can be done with water in the pool. Another choice if you feel the need to drain the pool is to partially drain it and then fill it back up. With no danger from hydrostatic pressure, this will lessen the mess.

If you need to make significant repairs, that’s another reason to drain your pool. Whether a repair necessitates draining the pool will be decided by your pool specialist.

The majority of pools should be drained and filled approximately every 5-7 years or when the total dissolved solids (TDS) level exceeds 2500 ppm. Your pool’s water balance will then be challenging to maintain. You’ll need to use an increasing amount of chemicals. Regular maintenance won’t be able to handle the accumulation of organic waste like hair, dead skin, and oils, environmental factors, the chemicals you use to clean and shock your pool, and environmental conditions over time.

How Often Should Pools Be Drained and Refilled?

There is no clear-cut answer, but the majority of experts concur that pools should be drained and filled again every three to five years. As a result, any accumulation of dirt or debris will be prevented, helping to keep the water clear and clean. Additionally, draining and refilling your pool will increase its lifespan. Be sure to get in touch with a specialist like The Pool Butler if you have any concerns about when to drain your pool or if you need assistance.

DIY Or Hiring Professionals?

Always hire professionals to drain your pool, and that’s an easy one. If you suspect that your pool requires draining, a reputable pool maintenance and repair business like The Pool Butler can confirm your suspicion and assist with the procedure. Don’t try to drain your pool yourself because doing so improperly could cause permanent damage.

The Pool Butler can help if your pool is particularly filthy or if you believe it needs to be drained. We’ll assist in determining what must be done to address your pool’s issues. In addition, we can drain and refill your pool safely if it really needs to be drained.

Final Words

No matter the type, understanding how to drain a pool is a crucial skill for maintaining any pool. It won’t seem as difficult after you’ve completed it once or twice. Simply follow the instructions and exercise all necessary caution, especially if you have an inground pool.

Your pool will look good and continue to function properly for many years to come if you are able to drain it so you can make repairs or improvements like painting.