The ice kept getting thicker and thicker and I could see that one serious snow come January would overflow the pool when it thaws. So I put an auger blade on the electric drill and cut a hole in the ice. Lots of small holes really close together until I had a perforated circle and after one good whack with the mallet I had a nice hole.

Then I put the little pump in. Hey, what could happen? If it wasn't submersible it would blow the breaker or the fuse or trip something on the outlet. I stayed well away from the water and the metal parts of the pool in case electricity leaked out. See how much I know about this stuff?

It worked great! Several hours later it had actually taken 3" of water out. By then it was getting dark and I unhooked everything. I'm going to shoot for another 2 or 3" which will get the level below the light fixture which is the lowest opening in my pool.

Maybe none of this is necessary but in all honesty, I miss my pool so much that I'm inventing busywork just to be involved. Silly, isn't it?