How to Drain Pool Below skimmer

If you do want to know how to drain pool below skimmer? and do not want to freeze the skimmer and the pipeline during the winter or if you do not want your skimmer to get damaged by water

You definitely need to lower your water level below your skimmer.

There are many reasons you after hearing or facing those might want to drain the pool below the skimmer.

You can create a pump in the filter waste portion so that you can drain water in an inground swimming pool as all the water is passing by the main drain, not through the skimmer.

In this article, we will try to cover the prevalent questions and answers. So by not wasting any time let us hop into it.

Table of Contents

How to drain an inground pool below the skimmer?

Use pool’s pump to lower the water level

As the skimmer’s suction is a good obstacle to lowering the water level of the pool so you have to ensure that the valve or valves of the skimmer are closed by this way you can use the pool’s pump to lower the water level from the skimmer and after that open the main drain at the bottom of the pool.

If the skimmer’s valve is left open then as soon as the water level is below the skimmer, the air will be drawn into the skimmer and this will surely damage the skimmer and the water will not be expelled from the pool any further.

Use an multiport valve

There are some pools which have a divider valve which controls the skimmer’s and main drain’s suction line.

As the main drain is selected with the valve, use the multiport valve system to filter the option to the “waste” position so that the water will flow out to your main drainage system or into your yard by the method you have applied.

Beware of the mode of multiport valve

If the multiport valve is on filter mode then you can not drain water from the pool at all. All the water will be filtered and will be given back to the pool. This is a big obstacle to draining water. The same thing goes for the recirculate mode.

After doing all these things use the pump and takeout the water level to a certain level. This should be a few inches lower than the skimmer.

This method can be used to drain all the water from the pool or after heavy rain.

How deep should you empty the pool during the winter?

In the winter, temperatures in the majority of American states, including Oklahoma, Milwaukee, and Houston, are so low that even the water becomes frozen.

In this situation, if your water level is not below the skimmer level then there is a very high possibility that your skimmer will get damaged and you can not drain the pool for this reason.

To avoid this condition we suggest lowering the water level by 4 to 6 inches from the high point of the skimmer. This is helping to create enough space for the expansion of the water throughout the winter without risking the skimmer and the pool.

How to empty below the skimmer without the main drain?

If your pool does not have a main drain line then you do not have to worry about draining your pool.

There are several ways to drain water without using the main drain line. Though if your pool does not have a main drain then you better build one. Because it helps a lot to drain and not only saves time but also does not need any kind of extra usage of strength.

But if you do not have one then the best way to drain the pool is to use a small submersible pump and the garden hose. Create a siphon with the vacuum hose and set it up on the head of the pole. After that, start pumping water far from the pool’s edge. This is the best way to do it as it does not oversaturate the soil of the supporting pool. After draining the water has reached your target then stop all the actions to save the battery life or the electricity.

How far below skimmer to drain above ground pool?

As draining a vinyl inground pool is discouraged, draining the vinyl above-ground pool is also discouraged as it can rip the whole system while refilling. But this kind of situation can be avoided if the steps are taken carefully.

If your pool is full of algae or if your pool is in bad condition you have to leave the pool water at 4 inches to 6 inches and after that, you will have to scrub the vinyl after that you can refill your pool with fresh water.

As most of the above ground pools do not have a main drain, you have to set up an above ground pool filter system.
You can also use a submersible pump to drain the water from the above ground pool. Using the garden hose and creating a siphon is possible to do in a very short time.
After this pump is far from the poolside where the pool is standing on the foundation soil.
The submersible pump will take almost 6 to 12 hours. So you need to monitor it from beginning to end for safety.

Conclusion

Your pool water needs to be changed every once in a couple of months. So to do that you need to drain the water. If you follow the advice carefully you can drain your pool perfectly without any sense of danger.

If you drain water quickly then it is also suggested to refill it as quickly as possible. The garden hoses are good to use for this cause.

If anything in the article is not covered properly we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience.