No shame in “less messy”—sometimes good enough is all you need.
Honestly, that’s been my motto for years. I tried the slow hose drain last summer and it worked, but man, it took forever. Has anyone here tried those cheap sump pumps from the hardware store? Wondering if they’re worth the hassle or just another gadget collecting dust.
I’ve actually used one of those $60 sump pumps from the big box store, and it surprised me. It moved water way faster than the hose trick, but you’ve gotta watch where you’re dumping it or you’ll end up with a swampy mess. The only hassle was cleaning out leaves and gunk first—otherwise, it was plug and play. Not sure I’d call it a dust collector, but if you only drain once a year, it might feel like overkill. Anyone else notice they get super hot if you run them too long?
I actually had the opposite experience with those cheap sump pumps. Mine overheated and shut off after maybe 20 minutes, and I wasn’t even draining a huge pool. Ended up having to wait for it to cool down, which dragged the whole thing out. Honestly, I just stick with the hose siphon now—slower, but less hassle for me. Maybe I just got a dud, but I’m not convinced they’re worth it for a once-a-year job.
Honestly, I just stick with the hose siphon now—slower, but less hassle for me.
I can relate to the frustration with cheap sump pumps. I tried one a few years back and it barely lasted a season before the motor gave out. The hose siphon is definitely more reliable, if a bit slow. Have you ever tried running the siphon overnight? I found that letting it go while I slept worked well, and the water had plenty of time to disperse without pooling in the yard. Curious if anyone’s had luck with using multiple hoses at once to speed things up, or if that just complicates things.
Running the siphon overnight is pretty much my go-to too. As long as the hose end is far enough from the pool, I don’t get any big puddles. I’ve actually tried doubling up with two hoses—worked alright, but you’ve gotta make sure both are primed properly or one just sits there doing nothing. It’s a bit more fiddly, but if you’re patient it does speed things up. Honestly, I trust hoses more than those bargain sump pumps at this point... less moving parts to fail.