Sheepdip

In ground with Pentair pump, chlorinator and cartridge filter. Can't wait! Going to try and do a time lapse of it all.

Wow, that's deep! Ours will only be 6 foot. I think deeper is more usual for older pools when diving boards weren't so much of an insurance liability.

tom169

Great, ours is a similar set up, but have a DE filter. I wish it hadn't - it's much more of a pain to maintain.

Yeah, I think you're right. There is a mark on the ground from where a diving board existed. I need to take my new angle grinder to some old bolts this weekend.

Pulaski

I didn't know you have an angle grinder!

tom169

The Mrs let me.

Sheepdip

They've moved us up - digging starts tomorrow!

tom169

Awesome! Today I worked more on cleaning my pool. I chlorine washed all the walls and scooped 130 dead frogs out of the bottom of the pool.

On Friday I have a sewage truck coming to pump out the rest of the dirty water.

On Saturday I have a pool guy coming to install me a new timer for the pump.

On Sunday I might be swimming

How long is it going to take for your install start to finish?

chawkins99

You need to be careful there. If you have a high water table, you could end up 'floating' the pool. In general, you should never do a full drain of a pool.

tom169

The truck will be hauling the water away. I thought this happens when dumping water around the pool?

Nutek

If the water table is high (as it is on our property) an empty pool shell effectively becomes a boat and can "float" up out of the ground.

We have similar concerns regarding our underground Propane tanks.

chawkins99

I live on the coast but am 35ft above sea level. Nevertheless, our water table is less than 6ft below the surface. Lower after a prolonged dry period.

When our liner was replaced, they had to dig a temporary well and pump it out for 2-3 days before draining the pool (and continue pumping until the pool was refilled).

If you live on high ground with well-draining soil, probably not a problem but I wouldn't be taking any chances.

Nutek lives on a river so probably in a worse position than me.

tom169

Hmm this has me worried. I guess i'll have the sewage guy clean up the crap, and i'll start filling right away. Or perhaps fill it up and leave the sewage stuff on the bottom for him to get.

Nutek

4 - 6 feet I believe, depending on time of year.

Pulaski

Don't worry too much, CHawkins is in Florida where the water table is often barely below the surface, and can easily push up on a pool enough to cause serious damage to a pool. Google "Florida borrow pit" to read about why most housing and commercial developments in Florida have a lake or ponds - they need to dig out enough dirt to raise the level of the rest of the land a foot or two, enough to build on. Race tracks in Florida also always have a pond in the infield for the same reason.

In our part of NC the solid clay doesn't lend itself to much water leaching out of the ground into a hole. I have dug holes of 4-5 ft with absolutely NO groundwater seepage.

chawkins99

Ask your pool guy. He should know what the risks are for your area. It may be a non-issue.

An alternative would be to replace the water using the tarp method.

Pulaski

The geology in Florida is unusual, with high water table and highly permeable ground. Here in this part of NC the ground is solid clay and digging into it is like digging candlewax, literally. You can dig a hole with vertical sides and the side will not fall into the hole, at all, and it can be difficult for a septic system to drain properly because of the clay. I don't even know where our water table is, all I know is that I have never dug deep enough to find it despite a having dug down 4-5 feet on at least 14 occasions that I remember.

The only significant risk I would see here is that rainfall could pass behind the pool liner and try to float the liner out, but so long as there is concrete apron around the pool to direct water several feet away from the pool, that problem is unlikely IMO. That said, it is generally bad practice to leave a pool empty for longer than the briefest possible time.