Drain AG and refill?

[Islander2C]

Hello everyone. It has been quite a while since I posted on this forum as I usually stay away during our winter months. It is hard to read about others enjoying their pool while I look out at mine with 3 feet of snow on top!
The big Ice Cube has now melted and I look out at a lovely green water pool.
I was thinking that maybe I should drain that green water out, scrub the liner and refill. I know it will take a couple of days to refill, but I think it will be alot cheaper than using all the chemicals to get it back to "clear water".
Has anyone done this?
Hope to open the pool on the long weekend in May. We don't have a heater, so there is no use opening it before than as the weather and water will not be warm enough until middle of June.
Tks
Mary
27' AG

[GraceByDesign]

You should never completely drain a liner pool. Just hit it with the bleach and brush!

ETA: scoop out any junk first!

[Watermom]

The problem with draining a liner pool is that it often will destroy your liner. Once drained, your liner may no longer fit properly. It probably won't be as bad to clear your pool as you might think. Just shock it and sustain the high chlorine reading. Test it as many times a day as you can - 3x a day is good - and each time, add enough bleach to take it back to shock level based on your cya reading. Also run the pump 24/7 while you are working to clear the pool. Watch your filter pressure. If is rises 8-10 psi, then backwash. By the way, welcome back to the forum!

Take a look at the pics in this thread. Note the time frame on the pictures. It is pretty amazing how quickly bleach can get a pool under control!

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=1180

[CarlD]

There are two alternatives:
1) You can drain the pool down so that there's a foot of water left, put on high rubber boots, and scrub the exposed walls. Be sure to make sure you support the walls from the outside, like with tent ropes and stakes.

2) You can use Poconos' method of water exchange, involving covering the entire surface with plastic, and putting new water in on top as you drain the old water from the bottom. This keeps the liner stretched and prevents the walls from imploding.

Or you can spend a little bit of money on bleach to clear the water and not risk having to replace the liner.

[hrsdennis]

Carl, I love option 2. I must have missed that one. It sounds like a great option for everyone opening up the pool for the season and finding nasty green stuff.

To many liners are ruined by draining, cleaning and trying to refill. Liners shrink when emptied.

Any chance you or Poconos could tell us more about this method. Why the plastic? How does the fresh water stay seperated from the green stuff? How long should this take? Do you siphon or pump from the bottom?

Such a great concept, I need to know more.

[CarlD]

I must defer to Al on this. But my understanding is that it's designed to keep the old and new water from mixing, while maintaining the pool structure. I presume there's SOME slight mixing as the plastic is pulled down, but I've never tried it.