Should I Drain My Overflowing Pool?
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If heavy rains have caused your swimming pool to overfill this is not good however you might want to avoid pumping off any of the water in the pool...at least until a short while after the heavy rains have stopped. As Steve explains in this video most inground swimming pools require the weight of the water in the pool in order to stabilize the pool in the ground. During periods of floods or heavy rains the ground water table around the pool increases and poses a risk for pools should you attempt to drain (any) water from your pool.
Of all pool styles it is the inground concrete pools (gunite, shotcrete, ICF, cast) as well as fiberglass pools which are the most concerning for hydrostatic balancing in the ground. With temporary floods or heavy rains the ground water is pushing upwards on the pool shell and trying to life it from the ground. The weight of the water inside of the pool is critical to balancing this upwards pressure. The more water you attempt to drain from your pool the greater the lifting force exerted on the pool shell from below. You are better to wait a number of hours after the rains have ceased, at minimum, before attempting to drain off any water from your overflowing pool. Of course you will have water chemistry and debris issues to deal with now, but this is the lesser of two evils versus a potential for structural damage to your pool.
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