Draining Gunite Pool

[jaypool]

I need to drain my pool that was just built. Can I do that with a simple pump? Will it affect or break anything if I do it?

[Watermom]

Why do you need to drain it?

[jonv112]

If your water table is high, you run the risk of cracking the new gunite because there is no water in the pool to counteract the pressure of the water under the pool from pushing it up out of the ground. Or worse, the pressure could even lift your pool out of the ground!

[waste]

I will reiterate Watermom's ? - why do you think you need to drain it? (BTW- welcome to the forum ! ) If you tell us the reason, we may find a solution that doesn't require draining the pool.

[jaypool]

The pool guy was painting some rocks around the pool and got a TON of paint in it. I don't know how to get it out. The cartridge filter stops up every 15-30 minutes full of the paint and I've been doing this for a week now without any luck in getting the paint out.

By the way: this was after he got too much sand in it. I got advice on using the sand filter bag on the 380 to get all the sand/dirt out and I was in the process of doing this when he came back to finalize the paint on the rocks and got it in the pool. My water is now literally brown, the color of the rocks.

[105ex]

Like what jonv112 said, you don't want to drain. As the rain is starting to come back, the water table is probably going to get high quickly.

If you're draining because you're going to redo your pool, then that's different as you can have pressure relief holes drilled so your pool's concrete doesn't get cracked and the whole pool doesn't float.

Nonetheless, the answer to your original question is that a simple sump pump can empty out a pool just fine (but it may take more than a day) and you'd have to know the regulations in your area as draining water has to be done properly, too.

[jaypool]

Like what jonv112 said, you don't want to drain. As the rain is starting to come back, the water table is probably going to get high quickly.

If you're draining because you're going to redo your pool, then that's different as you can have pressure relief holes drilled so your pool's concrete doesn't get cracked and the whole pool doesn't float.

Nonetheless, the answer to your original question is that a simple sump pump can empty out a pool just fine (but it may take more than a day) and you'd have to know the regulations in your area as draining water has to be done properly, too.

No, it is a brand new pool. I'm just trying to get the paint out that the pool guy got in the pool. I've got a pump and I'm on a lot of land. It actually hasn't rained here in about 3 weeks. Other than drilling holes, can I get this paint out some other way?

[Socal_biker]

A submersible pump will do just fine.

It's what I've used to completely drain my pool a few time over the decades. You can get them cheap at Harbor Freight OR rent them from Home Depot. For what you pay in rental from HD, you can buy the unit from HF.

Similar model to what I have:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=45019


The Harbor Freight website doesn't list all their submersible pumps, if you can go to a local store, they'll have over a half dozen models to chose from. The pool vacuum hose will fit the HF pump just fine.

[jaypool]

A submersible pump will do just fine.

It's what I've used to completely drain my pool a few time over the decades. You can get them cheap at Harbor Freight OR rent them from Home Depot. For what you pay in rental from HD, you can buy the unit from HF.

Similar model to what I have:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=45019


The Harbor Freight website doesn't list all their submersible pumps, if you can go to a local store, they'll have over a half dozen models to chose from. The pool vacuum hose will fit the HF pump just fine.

I've got a pump from a contractor that is real fast and will only take about an hour to drain the pool.

However, given what others have said, I'm concerned the concrete could crack. Did you have any problems with that at all?

[SeanB.]

I've got a pump from a contractor that is real fast and will only take about an hour to drain the pool.

However, given what others have said, I'm concerned the concrete could crack. Did you have any problems with that at all?

We have some friends, who upon bad advice from a pool store, drained their pool to solve an algae problem. They drained it and immediately filled it from a fire hydrant.

If draining is the only solution, a quick fill might help prevent floating your pool.