What is the process for using a sump pump to drain my pool?
Can anyone provide me with an overview of the process that I need to use to drain my pool using a sump pump? Is the sump pump actually placed into the pool (i.e., it is waterproof), or does it have connected hoses that feed into the pool?
I have no doubt that I will receive instructions on how to use the sump pump to drain my pool when I either rent or purchase one, but I thought backup from people with experience would be helpful.
With regard to why I do not just drain using my standard equipment, my DE Filter unfortunately has only backwash and filter as an option. I cannot simply rinse or bypass the filter and drain the pool.
Also, I have purchased a Wayne 1/2 HP 2,400 GPH Submersible Utility Water Pump #VIP50. The cost of the pump equalled two days of rental.
Mail this postPopularity: 12% [?]
Posted in Sump pump | 
Tags: de filter, hoses, HP, no doubt, pool, regard, Sump pump, utility water, water pump
Use the 'Wayne'.`
I used a submersible sump pump to drain our pool, and it worked fine. It wasn't as powerful as the main pump, and it took it a couple of days to completely empty the pool, but I felt it saved alot of wear and tear on the pool motor and some money on the electricity bill, since the pool motor used far more power than the plug-in sump pump.
You may be able to place the pump in the water, but you have to make sure of a few things.
The electrical line that went into the sump pump motor was water proof on the one we used, however, the line was only about ten feet long. So, we had to use an extension cord to get the pump into different areas of the pool. We moved the pump from the shallow end to the deep end……….
The connection between the pumps cord and the extension cord, was NOT water proof and I had to make sure that there was no way that the connection could make contact with any water, and the other end of the extension cord was plugged into a GFI outlet.
The pump also had a float valve, so when the water got to a certain level, it would automatically shut-off. If you don't have a low-water cut-off switch, it will burn out the motor if the sump pump runs dry.
Also, we used a garden hose to drain away the pumped water. This has a big effect on drain time. The bigger the hose ( if the fittings match the hose ) the faster it will pump the water.
There are different type of pumps on the market with different hose configurations….ours had only an outbound hose, the input side was underneath the pump. If the water is clean, then you shouldn't be concerned about debris or muck glogging the intake…otherwise, you may need to clear the intake side of any debris that gets stuck.
You just have to make sure that the angle of the hose isn't too steep, the box or instruction manual should tell you how much it will pump AND to what height. We had to put an 8 inch riser with an elbow on the sump pump so the hose wouldnt crimp at the pump, since we ran the hose along the bottom of the pool from the deep end to the shallow end and then up and out.