To Drain Or Not To Drain

[mbriggs993]

I have an older (15-20 yrs) pool that I am not using as the house is a second home now and the pool just never gets used. I am paying the pool guy $100 per month to maintain along with whatever it costs to add water as needed. My debate is just drain the pool for the next few years and if I ever go to sell or want to use the pool I could take the savings from not maintaining it to pay for it to be replastered. Thoughts? Has anyone had a pool they let sit for an extended period of time without water?

[txpoolguy]

Tough question. Much of this depends on soil conditions in/near the pool in question. There are parts of the country where it's somewhat common to leave pools drained for extended periods. There are other parts of the country where it's not a good idea, due to the type of soil you have under/around the pool, related soil movement, drainage, etc. In any case, the risk depends on the above factors, and others we may not be aware of. If the pool shifts or floats, it's a very expensive process to re-level the pool & repair all damage. The pool equipment is another factor to be considered. It will all need to be drained and stored properly or it can be damaged also. You should also be aware that some municipalities may not allow pools to sit empty for extended periods without a safety cover or approved covering structure. I usually recommend consulting professionals in your area to find out if it's common practice or not and specific factors in your area. I'd recommend getting several opinions. Personally, I don't like the idea of leaving pools empty, but I also understand the cost involved in maintenance.

[mbriggs993]

Thanks for the input. The pool is in Vegas with very hard ground so I am not to concerned about shifting ground. I already have the area fenced so I think that is covered as well. I agree it would seem a bit strange to have it empty but I sure hate paying $100 per month for very little benefit.

[WeirdPoolWater]

How often does the person come and maintain it? How much do the chemicals cost you? I think that there has to be a way for you not to have to pay to get the whole pool re-plastered and to not deal with the risk of shifting etc... I will be researching possible options, in the meantime could you tell me if you water the area near your pool?

Keep in touch,

WPW

[Pool Clown]

Fence or no fence, some insurance companys (i heard) wont even write a policy on an empty pool in the back yard. Too much liability. They seem to attract the skate boarders too.

[WeirdPoolWater]

Wow, i should probably get my pool insured

[mbriggs993]

Thanks for the replies. I pay $100 per month for maintenance which includes chemicals and filter cleaning. The pool does have a seperate fence. I do not water near the pool other than a drip system for three small palm trees. Not much water usage. I don't have any grass in the backyard.

[paulsimmons]

Thanks for the replies. I pay $100 per month for maintenance which includes chemicals and filter cleaning. The pool does have a seperate fence. I do not water near the pool other than a drip system for three small palm trees. Not much water usage. I don't have any grass in the backyard.

Seems like you might be asking for trouble if it's drained between potential issues of vandalism/insurance issues and potential functional issues. I completely agree with TXpoolguy on being absolutely sure about your ground conditions as well. I have a pool in Southern Oregon and I realize we do have different ground conditions and water tables, but a friend of mine drained his and had it crack. Do others in the area drain their pools for extended periods of time?

It also seems like 100/month for maintenance is a bit high - perhaps not, but I've had people offer to take care of my pool for about 50/month including the chemicals. Is there another option there that might be a little less?

Good Luck no matter which option you choose. I'd love to hear if you do drain it and don't have any issues.

-Paul

[waterbear]

Hey, I have one of these for my pool, greenerpool.com. I've had it for a while and it has continuously saved me 75%-80% on pool chemicals. Don't darain your pool!!! It doesnt look good and its a host for many other problems!!!!

this is not an EPA approved sanitizer and the website does not even make any claims that it sanitizes water. It seems to be a passive device that they claim uses photonics which, if you research photonics, is a bit ludicrous. I would guess that this is a scam akin to pool magets (that are STILL being sold and some poor fools still buy!)

Interesting that the post you made on Nov. 21 here indicated that you had no idea what this device was but here yo say you've had it for a while. Please stop the spam.

[txpoolguy]

So, Weird Pool Water - how does this thing work? Their website offers no explanation except "buy this and save 75% and talks about photonics, but no explanation of what exactly it does. Is it magic?

[Topper]

The add says "Mad in USA" ... If they don't say in plain letters "Made in USA"...I would continue to be leery. This is called deceptive advertising!

[Pool Clown]

Wow, i should probably get my pool insured

It probably already is. Unless you deceived your insurance agent, and told him you didn't have one, to keep your premiums down (bad move, that would void the whole policy if anything happened). Or you don't have any insurance on your property at all.