How to reduce water level in pools?

Having a backyard swimming pool is a luxury, and one of the best ways to beat the summer heat. A lot has been said about maintaining the water chemistry in pools. However, not every pool owner knows the importance of maintaining the proper swimming pool water level.

There are many reasons why you may need to alter the water level in your swimming pool. For example, heavy rains may cause your pool to overflow, thereby possibly damaging your pool deck. Or you may have simply left the garden hose on and overfilled your pool.

Irrespective of whether you have an in-ground pool or an above-ground one, knowing how to maintain your pool’s water level is a crucial part of swimming pool maintenance. Continue reading to learn how to reduce and increase the water level in your swimming pool, and why it is important to pool servicing and maintenance.

Find out your home's credit score

Check your home condition score to find out!

Check it out

Why is it important to maintain swimming pool water levels?

There are a variety of issues that could crop up if the water level is too low or too high. 

If the level is too low, it could cause your pool skimmer to bottom out, as a result of which air gets sucked into the filter system. This, in turn, increases the chances of your pool pump motor burning out. 

Replacement pumps aren’t particularly easy on the pockets, costing between $400 and $800 on an average. 

On the other hand, if the water level is too high, your skimmer will not be able to catch debris efficiently, which means the task needs to be done manually. In addition, the overflowing water may damage your pool deck and the poolside landscaping. Also, rainwater can throw your pool chemistry off as well.

This makes it important that you know the process of draining your pool whenever necessary.

How to reduce pool water levels

Let’s look at a few easy ways to remove water from your swimming pool to get it to the ideal level.

Use the multiport valve on your pool pump

• Be sure the pump is switched off when you begin.
• If the pump has a two-way valve, turn it on.
• To use the waste outlet on the pool pump,  turn the multiport valve handle to the waste position.
• Run the pump until the water reaches the desired level.
• Turn the pump off and return the outlet to the filter position. If your pump has a two-way valve that was turned on, turn that off as well.

Use the pump drain

If the swimming pool has a cartridge filter that you remove and clean, then you do not need to use the multiport valve to drain water.

All you need to do is hook up a hose to the spigot at the drainage port and open it. Water will begin to drain out of the port. Close the drainage port when enough water has drained out of the pool.

Read more: Exterior spigot replacement

Use a submersible pump

Submersible pumps sink to the bottom of the pool and are attached to hoses. The hose needs to be directed to a drainage area. Once the pump is turned on, the water drains out of the pool through the hose into the designated drainage area.

Siphon water out of the pool

If you don’t have a multi-valve pump or a submersible one, you will need to siphon water out of the pool the old-fashioned way.

Make sure one end of a hose is in the pool and the other end, the drain end, a level lower than the water. Suck on the other end until water comes through and let the hose down. Your pool should start draining out. Simply remove the hose when enough water has drained out of the pool.

How to increase water levels in your pool

If you just need to increase the water levels by a nominal level, you could just use a garden hose for the job. However, if you need to fill a considerable amount of water into your swimming pool, consider talking to your water utility company about a flat rate to fill up the pool.

Alternatively, you could also contact a water delivery company to bring in a truck of water. 

Pro tips

1. Adding water to your pool is bound to throw off the water chemistry. So be sure to check chlorine levels out and prepare the pool before you use it.
2. If you’ve experienced heavy rainfall or haven’t used the pool for a long time, consider shocking the pool before you do.
3. If you’re expecting a storm, cover your pool up with a pool cover if you have one. Move all heavy furniture out of harm’s way. Be sure to disconnect and move all electrical appliances indoors to avoid accidents.

Always make sure your pool water level is maintained

The ideal pool water level is around the midpoint of the pool skimmer. However, a lot of things can affect water levels, including rainfall and evaporation. This makes it important for pool owners to check water levels as often as possible and maintain those levels to avoid unnecessary damages and the costs that come with it.

Written by Narayan Shrouthy. July 2, 2022

Narayan is a content writer for Kukun. With experience in both content writing and editing, Narayan mixes his writing and love for reading with his passion for music. As an active musician, He aims to be a key player in Kukun's content experience.

Your opinion matters, leave a comment

Share this article

Sign in

Please login to comment

2 Comments

Oldest

Newest

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

charles_mcklinton@outlook.es(@charles_mcklintonoutlook-es)

Why do you have to keep in mind so many rules for a pool? How annoying

View Replies (1)