Should I Drain My Pool

by Angie Hickman
(Tallahassee, FL)

We have no experience with above ground pools and are now in a home with a very neglected one. Is it going to be less expensive to drain it and start anew or try to buy everything it is going to take to get the water back to acceptable? We really want to be able to enjoy it this summer but are afraid it is going to cost a ton.


Hi Angie. The answer to that question depends on just how bad the pool is. In some cases treating your existing water can be very expensive. But, so can having to replace a liner, because you drained the pool and it shrank.

If you choose to treat the water be sure to let the filter run non-stop during the whole process, even up to a couple of weeks, if that's what it takes. That is usually the first mistake people make, not running the filter enough. I would start by adding a couple bags of vinyl shock treatment to the pool and running the filter of few days. This will usually clear the water up after a few days.

Another option that is used a lot is to drain the pool half way. With the pool half full there is no chance the liner will shrink. If you brush the pool while draining, a lot of the debris can be removed. You would then refill, shock and start running the filter.

A little more daring of an approach would be to drain the pool down to just a few inches and refilling. During the draining process you could brush to try to remove as much dirt as possible. Once the pool is down to a couple of inches you could get in and remove more stuff. The keys to this method are to do it on a sunny day, and do it all in one day. If you start refilling when the pool is in direct overhead sunlight you have a better chance of the liner stretching back out. By draining to just a few inches the liner will shrink some. If you make use of the sunshine it should stretch back out again.

Anytime you vacuum or brush a vinyl lined pool be very careful about bumping the edge. It is easy to be vacuuming the bottom of the pool and push the vacuum head into the wall, or even worse, to let the wall guide the vacuum head. Keep all your cleaning equipment several inches away from the sides of the pool.