I’ve wondered about the permit thing too—my neighbor got a warning once for draining into the street, so I’d double-check with your city just in case. As for the pump, I’ve heard putting a mesh bag or even old pantyhose over the intake helps catch leaves and gunk before it gets sucked in. Not sure how well it works, but it seems like a cheap fix if you’re worried about clogs. The lawn watering idea sounds good in theory, but yeah... mud city every time.
The lawn watering idea sounds good in theory, but yeah... mud city every time.
Yeah, tried the lawn route once—never again. Ended up with a swamp for a week. If you’ve got a cleanout access, that’s usually the safest bet. Just make sure you pace the flow so you don’t overwhelm your sewer line. Permits are a pain but way cheaper than fines.
- Been there with the “lawn as a filter” plan. Looked like a rice paddy for days.
- If you’re considering the cleanout, totally agree—slow and steady wins the race. I once got impatient and, well... let’s just say the neighbor’s bathroom wasn’t happy.
- If you don’t have sewer access, check if your city lets you drain into the street during certain months. Some places are chill about it if you call ahead.
- Another trick: Set up a long hose and move it around the yard as you go. It takes forever but at least you won’t drown one patch of grass.
- For smaller pools, I’ve used a shop-vac to pump out a little at a time—tedious, but keeps things manageable.
Permits are annoying, yeah, but nothing compared to getting that dreaded letter from the city. Learned that one the hard way...
Man, the “lawn as a filter” method is a rite of passage, but yeah, it’s a mess. I’ve seen folks try to speed things up with a sump pump and end up with a swamp for a week. If you can, I’d go with the long hose trick and just keep moving it around—tedious, but way less drama. Permits are a pain, but trust me, city fines are worse. Learned that one after a “creative” drainage attempt a few years back... never again.
I get the long hose method is the “safe” bet, but honestly, has anyone actually managed to not end up with a patchy lawn or a weird soggy spot somewhere? I tried the slow drain once and my dog thought I’d installed a new mud pit just for him. Ever tried renting one of those water bladder tanks? Not cheap, but you can haul the water off-site and skip the whole swamp drama. Just curious if that’s overkill or if I’m missing a trick here...
