Draining Water From Swimming Pool

by J.P.
(Stockton, Ca.)

Leslie Pools say I need to drain 1/2 the water out of the swimming pool and replace with fresh water.

Can I drain by using backwash value next to filter, or must I rent submersible pump to pump the water out.

If I use the backwash value, do I run the pump?

Thanks for your question J.P.

My first question would be why did they say to drain the water from the swimming pool? Are the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) too high? Is the cyanuric acid too high?

Adjust Your Swimming Pool Chlorine..Chemistry..Salt Water Maintenance..Inground

Is your water less than 3 - 4 years old?

If they just said, "It's time to drain 1/2 the water" I'd be a little concerned.

The answer to your question is yes you can use the pool filter pump to drain the water but there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

1. You need to drain on the WASTE position, NOT the BACKWASH position. If you have a swimming pool sand filter and use the BACKWASH position you might end up losing sand in the process of draining.

2. CLOSE the skimmer valve so the filtration system is not pulling in air when the water level gets below the skimmer.

At the YMCA pool I drain the pool at the WASTE position but when I drained residential pools I always used a submersible pump. It was a personal choice because I didn't want to put any excess pressure on the pool pump while draining the pool. This was just a safeguard for my customers, and myself.

If you're more comfortable using a submersible pool pump then I would advise you to get one.

Hope this is helpful

Robert