The answer is yes, if you have a chlorine gunite swimming pool. But first lets talk about why, how often, and how do you even do that.
Why Do I Need To Do That?
There are a few reasons that your pool should be drained and refilled. First is TDS or Total Dissolved Solids. TDS are substances in the water that accumulate over time making it harder for water chemistry to be stable. Adding chemicals to the pool will not help lower TDS. Once you reach about 2500 PPM, you loose the ability to balance water.
The second most common reason is high Cyanuric Acid or CyA. Cyanuric Acid is a stabilizer. It is what helps chlorine last longer by bonding to it. Chlorine in its natural form, is unstabilized. This means that it gets burned off when exposed to sunlight. Now, CyA is important for chlorine to work properly, too much of it is not good! High levels of CyA will not allow chlorine to do it’s job, kill pathogens. Ideal CyA ranges are between 30-40 PPM
You may also need to empty your swimming pool in order to do certain repair work. Things like plastering or acid washing will require an empty pool.
Vinyl or fiber glass pools should never be 100% completely drain. Always consult with a pool professional on how to do this properly.
How Often Should I Drain My Pool?
For a chlorine generated pool, this procedure should be done every 5 years. (3-4 months for separate hot tubs) Since swimming pools on the East Coast are closed every winter, they get partially drained at the end of each season. This is why their is no need to drain and refill your pool more often than 5 years.
Can I Drain My Pool, Or Should I Hire A Professional?
Draining a swimming pool has a few risks. The most serious, is that a pool can actually pop out of the ground completely. This is a catastrophic result that will essentially ruin not just the pool’s shell, but all of the plumbing that is connected to it. Pools are weighed down by the water inside of them. When you have ground water, then the pressure of that water will push an empty pool to the surface.
Once water is being taken out, the hydrostatic plug needs to be taken off to relieve the water pressure from below the pool. You could see water come up from the main drain once the pools water has been drained.
There are a few other reasons to always hire a professional swimming pool company to take on this task. You can damage the pools equipment and even damage the pools plaster if not done properly. Most municipalities will not allow you to just dump chlorinated water anywhere. Usually pool water must be drained into the sewer outlet, but sewers lines are not able to withstand huge quantities of water at once. A professional knows how to disperse the water at an expectable flow rate.
So if you have had the same pool water for 5 or more years, or maybe your looking to have some cosmetic repairs done to the surface. Then you can count on Countryside Pool Services to get the job done! We are greatly experienced in draining your pool for various needs. Give us a call to discuss whether this is something you may need to do and we will be happy to help!
