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How to Drain a Small Pool
How to Drain a Small Pool. Wading pools provide wonderful entertainment, but algae, leaves, dirt and debris that accumulate often spoil water fun. Pools need to be cleaned. Before you think of tipping over the pool to empty it, or dragging the pond to move it, do the math. A small kiddie pool holds 40 to 100 gallons of water. A typical small deck...
Wading pools provide wonderful entertainment, but algae, leaves, dirt and debris that accumulate often spoil water fun. Pools need to be cleaned. Before you think of tipping over the pool to empty it, or dragging the pond to move it, do the math. A small kiddie pool holds 40 to 100 gallons of water. A typical small deck fountain pond holds 35 gallons. A gallon of water weighs just over 8 pounds. Multiply the gallons by 8 and you have an estimate of the water weight. Even if you can tip out the kiddie pool, the plastic will soon split. The easy way to lighten your load is to siphon out most of the water before you dump the pool.
Things You'll Need
Old garden hose
Scissors or sharp knife to cut the hose
Rags
Get an old garden hose. Do not use the couplings. Cut below the couplings so that you have a section of plain hose, no fittings. Be sure the section you use has no splits or holes. This section should be about 4 to 5 feet long for easy handling. Flush out the hose piece with water to remove any dirt, spider webs or other debris.
Skim off leaves, bugs or any floating junk that might clog the hose. Decide where on the deck or yard you want the water to drain. Your hose will go on the side nearest this spot. It helps, of course, if you have nearby grass or plants that could use a few extra gallons.
Submerge the hose completely in the water. The hose needs to fill with water and have no air bubbles. Put a thumb or finger over each end of the hose. Keeping the ends closed tight, pull one end of the hose out of the water and set it below the water level of the pool. Take your thumbs off the hose ends and the water should flow out in a steady stream. If either end of the hose pops up, air may get into the hose and the water flow will stop. Submerge the hose in the water again and start over. If you want the water to stop, just pull the hose out of the pool.
Tips & Warnings
Instead of a garden hose, you can buy 5 feet of clear vinyl tubing 5/8-inch to 3/4-inch in diameter at a hardware store. The draining end of the hose must always be lower than the lowest point in the pool for the siphon to work.
Put away your scissors or knife as soon as the hose section is cut. You don't want to get cutting supplies wet.
