Can a gunite pool be left empty?

Your in-ground gunite pool is designed to hold water. The pressure of the thousands of gallons in the pool's bowl helps the gunite hold its shape and anchors it in the ground. When you remove the water from a gunite pool and leave it empty, you run a significant risk of damaging your pool.

How long can you leave a plaster pool empty?

If the pool ever needs to be drained to replace the water or to maintain the plaster, it should never be left empty for more than eight to ten days at the most. More than this may cause the plaster to dry out and crack. Keep your pool full for best results.

Can a gunite pool be drained?

Pool owners that come across problems with draining this type of pool are often draining it too slowly, leaving it empty for too long, or encountering a hydrostatic valve failure. In almost all cases it is best to hire a professional pool service to drain your inground gunite or concrete pool.

How long can an inground pool sit empty?

How long can you leave a pool empty? Well, the minimum amount of time possible in order to minimize the risk of serious damage. Most issues that require a pool drain will take at least a day or two to resolve, but it's recommended to not let it sit empty for any extended period of time.

What happens when you leave a pool empty?

Pool lining can dry out when it's left without water overtime. When it dries out, it can expand and stretch, leading to cracks and imperfections. Then, when you fill the pool back up, the water can seep through those cracks and cause damage.

Ask the Pool Guy: 2 Ways to Refurbish Gunite Pool

What happens if I drain my inground pool?

Never completely drain a fiberglass or inground vinyl-lined pool. Doing so can damage the integrity of the pool surface or liner, resulting in bowing or cracking. The only time you should fully drain a vinyl pool is if you're replacing the liner. Otherwise, the best practice is to partially drain these types of pools.

What can be done with an unused inground pool?

Will a pool collapse without water?

An empty pool (or as little as 1/4 filled) and an exposed liner on a hot day can cause the liner to shrink from the heat and deem the liner useless. An empty pool is also susceptible to collapse. Especially, in high winds and/or bad weather.

Can you cover an empty pool?

Winter Pool Covers also offer protection for an empty pool. Made out of polypropylene fabrics and double webbing, they offer safety and keep most debris from even getting into the pool. The cover is attached to anchors that are drilled into the deck and secured with springs.

How do you winterize a gunite pool?

Can you completely drain an inground pool?

Draining a pool is risky business for several reasons. Your pool is not meant to be empty. Whether you have a vinyl, concrete, or fiberglass pool, it is at its best when it's full of water. Once the water is drained, you open yourself up to all sorts of damage, so drain a pool only when there is no other option.

Will a gunite pool float?

Any vessel, underneath the ground, can float with enough water pressure pushing on it. Of all types of pools, concrete/gunite pools are the most likely to float, as you can see in these photos, all of which are concrete/gunite pools.

Can an empty pool pop out?

Most pool pop ups occur when a pool is empty or only slightly filled, however there are a few instances where a pool may rise or pop up slightly, even when full of water.

What is the cheapest way to fill a pool with water?

What is the cheapest way to fill my pool? While it may not be the fastest way, using a garden hose and city tap water is the cheapest way to fill your swimming pool. The average American family uses 12,000 gallons of water per month. And the average-sized swimming pool is around 15,000 gallons.

Should you drain a concrete pool for winter?

Close the pool for winter – but don't drain it.

In winter, the water in your pool is still your friend. Especially when properly winterized, it helps to protect the pool liner, keep it clean and prevent unnecessary damage from debris, harsh weather and other factors.

Can you drain a plaster pool in the summer?

So what defines an old plaster pool? As a rule of thumb in our 62 years of experience, we do not drain plaster pools older than 8 years (others may determine is safe) or any plaster pool in temperatures above 80 degrees (high) unless it's an absolute must.

Can you keep a pool closed for two years?

A pool isn't designed to be stagnant during the warm months of the year, and pool covers deteriorate faster in strong summer sunlight. Leaving the pool closed all summer is a guaranteed way to end up with a green, smelly mess and permanent stains or damage to the pool surfaces.

Does filling in a pool decrease home value?

In truth, unless a potential buyer plans on spending nearly all year swimming, your pool is less than 15 years old, and most of the neighborhood has a pool, you can expect your pool to decrease your property value.

Why should you not drain a pool?

Ah, to start over with entirely fresh water… sounds lovely, right? Unfortunately, draining your pool for the wrong reasons (like deep cleaning) can actually cause great damage to your pool structure and liner – which surely isn't what you had in mind.

What makes a pool collapse?

Pool Collapse – An above ground pool collapse is often caused by the results of ice damage, but it can also happen when there is too much snow accumulated on top of the pool and the frame cannot handle the weight.

Can you leave a Pebble Tec pool empty?

Does my pool need to be drained before cleaning pool tile or cleaning pebble-tec? No! - We lower your pool water just enough to expose all the pool tile calcium and pebble-tec calcium. In an effort to conserve water, We Never Need to Drain Your Pool.

How do you decommission a swimming pool?

How it's done: Filling in a pool involves draining the pool, punching holes in the bottom, demolishing the top layer of the pool (18" - 36"), placing the rubble in the bottom, filling in the pool with additional dirt and topsoil, and compacting the soil.

How do you destroy an inground pool?

The process of eliminating an inground pool generally requires you to break up the bottom of the pool so rainwater can escape over time. This means drilling large holes at either end of the pool bottom at minimum, or using a jackhammer to break the entire pool bottom into large chunks.