How to Drain An Above Ground Pool

Above ground pools have to be constantly drained to avoid collection of dirt which may lead to infections. Dejan Marjanovic / Getty Images

Summer's over, and it's time put your above ground pool in storage. But first you have to let all that water out. Here are two easy ways to accomplish the task: with a pump and with a hose siphon.

Method #1: Pump

All you need is a medium-size water or vacuum pump.

Unroll the pump's intake hose so that it reaches the center of the pool (or as close to it as possible), and submerge it in the pool.
Place the outlet hose so the exiting water doesn't flood the area, but drains off away from the pool.
Dry your hands thoroughly.
Plug the pump's electric cord into an electric outlet and turn on the pump.
Make sure the pump is doing its job, and let it run.
Check the operation periodically, and monitor the water level. Depending on the capacity of the pool and the pump's rate, the process can take up to several hours.
Turn off the pump when the water level gets too low for the pump to drain it [source: Graves].

Method #2: Hose siphon

You'll need at least one garden hose to drain the pool. The more hoses you use, the quicker the pool will drain. A word of caution: don't use your mouth to start the siphon process, or you may end up swallowing a mouthful of pool water.

Submerge each hose completely in the pool, so that it completely fills up with water.
Lift one end of each hose out of the pool and place it on the ground. Make sure the other end of the hose remains submerged. The amount of time it takes to drain the pool depends on the amount of water, the number of hoses, and the diameter of the hoses [source: LevelGroundPool].

For both methods, remove the remaining water by either opening the drain plug (if there is one), or dismantling the pool until you can free the liner. Either empty the pool by turning over the liner or simply sweep out the water.