Should you drain an outdoor pool or keep it full of water over the winter?

Answer 1

It is very unusual to have to drain a swimming pool. the water in a pool can be used for years. even it it seems absolutely filthy as a result of neglect it is often a simple mater to get the water clear again. However if the pool is drained special care should be taken that ground water does not cause the pool to float out of the ground, as this will mean the end of it.

Additional Notes: You should not drain a pool unless you have a very specific reason to do so, and/or you are doing it with the assistance of a pool professional. A fiberglass pool with no water in it is like a giant bathtub, and if the water pressure in the ground is more than the force keeping the pool in the ground, you can have what is known as a "pop out". This is very expensive problem to have to address.

The same goes for a gunite pool. The gunite pools are usually equipped with a hydrostatic valve who's job is to pop open if the ground water pressure is more than the water in the pool. Again, providing this is working properly, you should be fine. In the case of performing an acid wash on a gunite pool, or when we are doing a remarcite or repebble job, our crews will also drill holes in the bottom of the gunite pool to allow any ground water to come through the holes while work is being performed.

A vinyl liner pool is the least expensive to fix if you "accidentally drain the pool" or if you have problems. The liner depends on water to keep it set properly in the bottom of the pool. If you drain a liner pool, the liner can shift and cause wrinkles or bubbles to get trapped under the liner. Is this a major problem? Not really, the pool should still be able to function and hold water. It may not be pretty or aesthetically pleasing. If you have continual water problems under the liner, you may need to address the drainage or add a sump pump system to help handle the ground water. In a worst case scenerio, if you need to redo a liner you are talking thousands of dollars versus the case of a fiberglass or gunite problem which would more likely be tens of thousands.

Answer 2

A inground pool needs to be drained below the skimmer level during the winter. The water lines need to be drained and blown out to prevent freezing. You may also put RV anti freeze in the lines to prevent freezing. IF you do not drain the pool and live in a deep freeze region some people will place a large object such as a 50 gallon drum in the pool to keep it from feezing solid in the pool. Others however do choose to drain the pool empty. If you leave water in the pool around feb. the cover should be pulled back and algaecide and liquid chlorine added so when opening time arrives you are one up on opening your pool.