How to Empty a Paddling Pool?

How to Empty a Paddling Pool?

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No matter what size or shape your paddling pool is, you may have wondered How to empty a paddling pool?

The quickest way to empty a paddling pool is to open up the air valves and let the paddling pool deflate allowing all of the water to drain out quickly.

If you want to empty a paddling pool fast then this is probably the quickest method however it is not necessarily the best for all pool sizes and situations.

Whether you’ve got an Intex, Bestway or other make of paddling pool. How to empty them will be very similar.

However, depending on how large your paddling pool is, and where it is located you may not necessarily want hundreds of litres of water flooding your patio, lawn, or artificial grass lawn.

By simply emptying your paddling pool onto the ground you could cause irreparable damage to your garden or even your house over time.

For example, patio slabs are able to deal with rain but imagine a large amount of water being poured onto them in one go. You run the risk of not only washing away the grout but also the sub-base below them.

So what are the best ways to empty a paddling pool?

There are a number of fantastic ways to empty a paddling pool quickly and efficiently without causing damage to your property including using a hose pipe, a pump, a bucket, and a variety of other methods which we’ll cover in more detail below.

How to empty a paddling pool with a hose?

To empty a paddling pool with a hose make sure there is no air in the hose and submerge one end into the paddling pool. Lay the other on the ground below the level of the pool and the water should then begin to drain out.

Now if you are wondering how to ensure there’s no air in your hose pipe, there are two ways to do this.

Firstly is the method that most people know but is our least favourite for obvious reasons! Simply put one end of the hose into the inflatable pool and suck on the other end to create a flow of water. Now although it’s the quickest you do run the risk of inhaling dirty water from inside the hose pipe or even from the pool if you’re unlucky. This may not be a massive problem if the water is fairly clean but let’s face it. If children have been playing in it and your paddling pool has been in your garden for a few days the water is highly likely to be a bit grim.

The second method is to connect your hose to the tap and turn it on until you see water coming out of the open end. As soon as you see water coming out place it into the paddling pool and then disconnect the other end of the hose from the tap. Once you place the hose on the floor the water should flow from the paddling pool.

The main benefit of draining a paddling pool with a hose is that if the water is untreated you can easily use the water around your garden. Water your plants with ease and save water during the summer months.

Don’t forget that if you have more than one hose pipe you can use multiple hoses to empty your paddling pool fast.

If your paddling pool has a drainage hole in the bottom of it some people will suggest that you pass the hosepipe through the hole and the water will flow through it. Although this is good in theory, it will take much longer and there will also be a great deal of spillage as hosepipes are generally much narrower than most drainage holes.

How to Empty a Paddling Pool Without a Hose

Emptying a paddling pool without a hose can be done by using a bucket, a siphon, an electric pump or by simply deflating the paddling pool and letting the water drain over the edges.

Use a Bucket

Using a bucket to empty a paddling pool is probably the easiest method. Simply dip the bucket into your inflatable pool fill it up and then pour the water wherever you like. Using a bucket will take a lot of effort and indeed time but it is great for filling water butts in the garden and getting water to those hard-to-reach plants in your garden.

Use a Siphon or Syphon

How to Drain a Paddling Pool With a Syphon

Very similar to using a hosepipe, you could always buy a water siphon. Siphons are a really handy device that takes out the need for sucking on a hose pipe. A siphon usually consists of two sections of pipe with a hand pump in the middle. You simply insert one end of the siphon into the paddling pool and have the other end lower to the ground. Then simply pump and the water will begin to flow.

How to Empty a Paddling Pool With a Syphon

You can also now get Self Priming Siphons that don’t need pumping. With these types, you simply put one end into the paddling pool and then shake and the water will begin flowing. The only problem with siphons is that there does need to be some height difference between the paddling pool and where you want the water to end up. This method is therefore great for those with raised, patios, decks, or terraced gardens.

Use an Electric Pump

If you have a large paddling pool then an electric water pump will make emptying your paddling pool much easier. Many electric pumps simply submerge into the water and once turned on will simply pump the water via a pipe to somewhere else.

Electric pumps can move thousands of litres an hour and so if you have a large pool an electric pump is an ideal solution. For smaller pools however, an electric pump is probably over the top unless you want to pump the water far away.

As electric pumps can shift water further and indeed uphill, they are great for those wanting to water hard-to-reach parts of the garden and to also fill water butts.

Deflating the pool and allowing it to drain

As we’ve already said deflating a paddling pool and allowing the water to drain over the edge is the quickest method by far for emptying a paddling pool. Although this method is best for small children and dog paddling pools, the sheer volume of water in some larger paddling pools may not be good for the surrounding area.

Best Way to Empty a Large Paddling Pool?

If you have large paddling pool then the best way to empty the water out is with an electric pump.

Electric pumps can move large amounts of water very quickly and if your pool is larger than 3000 litres you will find electric pumps will be much quicker than other methods.

If you’re not worried about the time it takes to drain your pool then you could always stick with the hosepipe method.

Best Way to Empty a Small Paddling Pool?

The best method to empty a small paddling pool is by deflating the paddling pool and letting water drain out or by using a bucket.

Small paddling pools hold less water and as long as you’re not concerned about where the water is going then simply emptying it out on the spot is fine.

If however, you’re worried about wasting water and wish to use the contents for watering the garden then you should choose another method.

If you’re looking to buy a new paddling pool then please check out our paddling pool shop.