While emptying your pool might not seem like a fun thing to do, sometimes it’s something you have to do in order to keep your pool healthy and safe. This isn’t a task you’ll have to complete weekly, monthly, or even yearly, but the time will eventually come when draining your swimming pool is necessary. This is usually something that will take place every few years. While this task might seem simple to just drain the water and then fill it back up, time is of the essence and there are important steps you must follow in order to get the job done the right way. We’ll walk you through these steps and explain how often your pool should be drained.

Luckily, draining your pool is something that you should do only every 3-5 years, in some cases, it could be even longer than this. It’s not a common pool maintenance task that should take place all the time. However, knowing the right time to drain your pool is important to maintain good water quality. The two most common reasons to partially or completely drain your pool include:

• Reset the water: If there is a known chemical imbalance in your pool water and you can’t seem to get it properly balanced anymore, this is a good indication that it’s time to drain your pool. Typically, your pool will reach a point where there is an overabundance of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). This means that over time, chemicals, dirt, debris, any other contaminants have slowly built up in your pool and have started to throw off your water’s chemical balance. If you think this could be the case for your pool, you can get a test strip to test your water for TDS. If you find that it’s at 2,500 parts per million (ppm) or more, it’s time to drain your pool for a fresh start.

• Pool maintenance: Aside from needing to reset your water, another reason for draining your pool could be for routine maintenance. Maybe you are having a crack in your pool’s floor fixed, or you’ve decided to take on a project of repainting the bottom of your pool. Both of these situations would require you to completely drain the water from your pool in order to be completed.

Once you’ve indicated that it’s time to drain your pool, it’s important to follow these steps recommended by pool professionals. There are dangers and things to avoid when it comes to draining your pool but following these steps will keep you on the right track.

A regular pool pump will not be able to successfully do this job as it will primarily suck in a bunch of air which can leave damages behind to your pool. Whether you decide to buy your own pump to have around or to just rent one to get the job done, either works.

To get started, ensure that the power cord is long enough to be hooked into an outlet and extend to the very bottom of your pool. There will be a hose that is connected to the pump and the opposite end of this hose should be placed wherever you want all the water to drain out.

Once you’ve successfully hooked up your submersible pump, now it’s time to begin draining the water. Even though it may seem easier to let the process happen on its own, it’s crucial for you to stay around the entire time to make sure nothing goes wrong. A huge flood could happen in an instant if you don’t keep a close eye on things.

Once the water levels get so low that the pump can no longer push any water out, this is when you should unhook and remove the pump. It’s rare that you will need to drain every last drop of water from your pool so leaving a small amount in there is okay.

This step is important to follow so that you don’t run the risk of your pool popping up. Open up all hydrostatic pressure relief valves to ensure the pressure of underground water is under control.

Once you’ve drained your pool successfully, maybe you want to think about revamping your pool space for the summer. Adding a slide or a swim up bar can be the perfect touch to creating your outdoor oasis. Global Pool Products carries these American-made products and more to help transform your pool!