Swimming Pools

It depends where you live.

I'd ask some local pool guys.

Will the property be left unattended, or will you still be living at this site?....I would think a cover would be the way to go...

...and probably get an estimate of resurfacing the pool, they might also have some tips....

http://www.allsafepool.com/

I have an in-ground pebble-crete...I'd fill the empty pool with sand bags or river-rock so that it's "easier" to remove and resell on Ebay

I'm guessing that you don't want to leave water inside for safety reasons while its unattended.

I've seen in-ground pools converted to aquarium use,even stocked with eddible fish.

As far as whether to leave it empty, my response is definately not. Previous responses discuss the plaster impacts.

You mention a relief valve, but it only takes one downpour where the water table rises faster than the inflowing water can match and you've got problems. Even if it doesn't float out in spectacular fashion, merely an inch of movement will impact later flow and match to edging.

Local custom if not removing is to plug pipes and backfill with clean brickies sand to surface level. Saw one in particular that was paved with seating and such added.

The concrete shell and reinforcing bar is dependent on the internal water pressure, (weight of the water in the pool), to hold the shell in place within the surrounding soil medium. The surrounding soil medium will move and without support inside the pool the shell will crack, causing cracks in the plaster, resulting in leaks later on when and if the pool is refilled.

Exposure to the elements will result in the plaster being contaminated with dust etc over time, and the plaster will stain. The plaster will also tend to flake in small sheets, requiring the shell the be redone when you want to fill it up again.

Normally people only empty the pool as it is no longer required or it becomes a skate board hole. Most people I know with pools simply fill them in and re-lawn the area or use them for back fire fighting resource.

I also know of a friend who turned his pool into a large Koi pond and it is rather nice and novel.

But leaving it empty for a while is not a good idea.

Every pool I'ver seen that was drained, quickly deteriorated.

And once that happened, you either fill it in, or have it demo'ed, removed and a new one installed because repairing them becomes a money pit.

I when I was buying a house, there was a house that had a inground pool, that was just left. The realtor assured me it would be nothing to repair it.

So I told him "nothing huh, well repair it before I consider making an offer then."

What he didn't know was, I had a fabrication business, I did a lot of work for a company that did installed pools and pool equipment accessories. They love the municipal pools, which one was close for (2) years and reopened. It was a good part of their yearly income.

Re: All the previous replies---NO !!! Just the moisture getting in between the shell and the surrounding soil will be enough to cause degradation and shfting pressures. Doing residential rehab work over the years has presented us with many old pools that were drained, out of a perceived necessity, and none of them took well to draining. Most of them became petri dishes from rain, insects, algae etc., with flaking plaster and cracks. Local codes do not allow empty pools in many areas due to health hazards, mosquitos, aand the random chance of injury.

Yes the plaster will most likely crack. The plaster even hard has retained a good bit of moisture. These pools are filled after the plaster sets but before it dries. If you empty it the plaster will dry out completely.

Just for a wobbly. Evian mineral water spelled backward is Naive!

I also have a new pool. We built it recently, very cool! I don't do anything with it now, usually we use special services.

By the way what about cleaning? I read that there are special robotic pool cleaners which can do almost all work. Did you have such experience? If yes, can you recommend something for me? Also I read about keeping the chemicals balance with Cyanuric Acid (CYA) also called stabilizer, in general all is quite simple. I think I will try to do this next week.