We are finally enjoying this beautiful sunny summer weather here in Vancouver. We got a small inflatable pool for the boys this year, and since I am not a fan of using chlorine and pool chemicals, we have to drain it regularly to get fresh clean water for them. So far we’ve drained it three times and I finally found an easy way to drain it, using a simple garden hose, no wet vac needed! 

Easily Drain Inflatable Pool with a Garden Hose {5 Easy Steps}

There are a few known methods to drain your above ground pool, but if you don’t have the extra equipment, and just want to stick to using your garden hose then keep reading.

Our pool has a drain plug on the bottom, but draining all that water onto our newly installed grass every few days would just cause problems with our grass and our home’s foundation, so instead, we use the hose to drain the water out to the alley, so it goes straight into the big city drain. Don’t forget that water seeping down near the foundation of your house can cause foundation cracks and other issues.

Easily Drain Inflatable Pool with a Garden Hose {Easy Steps}

We first tried sticking one end of the hose to the plug bottom and letting the water run through the hose, however, that took a very long time to drain. So, we ended up cutting an old long hose in half and following the instructions below:

  1. Hook one end of the garden hose to a nearby faucet.
  2. Hold the other end of the hose above the rest of the hose and wait until you see water coming out of the other end of the hose, we want to make sure all air is out of the hose.
  3. Unhook the garden hose off of the faucet, keeping the other end pointing up so the water doesn’t come out of the hose (basically, hold each end of the hose in each hand, keeping all the water in the hose).
  4. Submerged one end of the hose inside of the pool, close to the centre.
  5. Lay the other end of the hose lower than pool water, and leave it in the location where you want to release all the water.
  6. The water flow should then reverse and the pool will begin to drain.

If that doesn’t work, you can always put one end of the hose into the pool, and suck on the other end of the hose to get the water flow going. I don’t recommend this if your pool has really dirty water though!

Easily Drain Inflatable Pool with a Garden Hose {Easy Steps}3

Easily Drain Inflatable Pool with a Garden Hose {Easy Steps}

Easily Drain Inflatable Pool with a Garden Hose {Easy Steps}

Easily Drain Inflatable Pool with a Garden Hose {5 Easy Steps}

If you have an inflatable pool for the kids, do you use a chemical kit for it? Or do you get fresh water for it regularly? If you need tips on how to open and maintain a small above ground pool that needs chemicals, I also wrote a very easy step by step post with tips on how to keep your above ground pool’s water clean and safe

Hope this draining method works for you! If it does, leave a comment.

Happy Summer!