Pool water emptying and filling question (Huntsville, Decatur: credit, house, buy)

[NYescapee]

Hiya,

We just bought a house with a pool that has a vinyl liner... and it has a leak. We're having someone come and look at it, but in case the liner needs to be replaced, does anyone know of a company that will empty the pool, store the water until the liner is replaced and then put it back in?

It seems like a waste to let 25,000 gallons go to drain, not to mention the cost of refilling.

[Nlambert]

Good luck with that. I don't know of anyone who could store 25k gallons of water for you. Most just pump it out and then refill it either via a hose or the Fire Department.

[Southlander]

In Decatur, you can call the city and arrange for a pool to be filled via fire hydrant. There's a special rate that does not encompass the sewage fee, just water, and a bulk rate at that.
Maybe your municipality does that.

[harry chickpea]

LOL! It is a pool. Pools are expensive by definition. Ours was about 17K gallons, and I found that it didn't matter how I mixed and matched, I always ended up spending at least $1,200 on it per year.

[LCTMadison]

Yeah...good luck with that. If your liner has to be replaced, you are going to have to drain and refill it. I'm pretty sure just about every local water board offers a bulk rate for this, check with yours.

[drummonn]

I've personally replaced the vinyl liner in our 22,000 gallon pool (twice over 18 years)... I initially considered trying to save the water by doing what you're doing, but in the end I found it easier just to pump out the water, and then refill from the local water source (fire hydrant, or tanker trunk/ water delivery service) As other posters have mentioned, check with your water utility company and see what options they offer. FYI, a full-sized tanker truck that you see on the highways (or at the gas station) will only hold at max 10,000 gallons- you'd need 2.5 trucks worth to hold 25,000 gallons. I'm not aware of any company that will remove the water and store it- but if so inclined, you could buy a 25-30ft diameter circular above-ground pool and use it to store the water while replacing the vinyl liner- then once the water is pumped back into the newly-lined pool, take and dis-assemble the above-ground pool and sell it on Craigslist. For more info you can contact me for more info- PM is best. The vinyl liners can be ordered and installed by the homeowner- I ordeed mine online and installed it myself, takes only at most a day if the pool is drained/empty. Biggest issue is you really want a way to fill the pool in 3-4 hours (using a fire hydant, water tanker truck, etc).. so as to set the liner in place and keep it from wrinkling/ or from shifting. Filling 25,000 gallons from a 1/2inch hose will take 4-5 days (most hoses can run at most 3-5 gallons per minute (gpm)... and at a constant 5gpm you'll still need 83+hours; at a more moderate 2.5gpm that will be 168 hours,- 1 whole week. -Nathan

[NYescapee]

Okay, I'll check with the fire department or city to see about a quick fill. I doubt we'll put the liner in ourselves, being newbies, but it's good to know that's an option for the future. Thanks for the tips!

[CoreLysium]

Here are the rules on pool inside Huntsville:

- You can get a credit for the full amount of your pool when you refill the pool completely, once per year. Or, if you don't actually use the full amount of your pool on that filling, they'll adjust the sewer for the house down to the 12 (or six?) month average.
- But, if you have a drain, as you mentioned. It might be hard to get that credit unless you know where that water is going.
- And, if you do have a drain that goes to the sanitary sewer, well, obviously, no credit for you.
- Topping off due to evaporation is not credited. Life is rough, get a sprinkler meter (though for just a pool it'll never break even.)
- If you get some cheezy fly by night place to "fix" your pool and they don't actually fix it and have to redrain it, then the second filling is not covered. I guess this is the city's anti-grifter rule.

I'd advise you to quit topping it off while it's leaking despite the major holiday coming up. That said, you might want to enjoy the pool, but your util bill will be horrible.

You can get a pool filling form by calling 883-3719.

[dijkstra]

You will soon discover a pool is a big hole in the ground you throw money into and spend more time maintaining than using unless you pay a pool company (more money being thrown into said hole in ground).

Everyone I know that just had to have a house with a pool, sold the house within 5 years and moved to a subdivision with a community pool.

[FatTails]

Originally Posted by dijkstra

You will soon discover a pool is a big hole in the ground you throw money into and spend more time maintaining than using unless you pay a pool company (more money being thrown into said hole in ground).

Everyone I know that just had to have a house with a pool, sold the house within 5 years and moved to a subdivision with a community pool.

I had a pool for a few years. I hated it. The evaporation, the chemicals, the filters, the cleaning... glad I have a community pool now.