I’ve been down this road trying to keep costs in check. Here’s what worked for me:
- Used a cheap pool cover pump and ran a hose out to the street curb (checked with the city first—some places are picky).
- Dug a shallow swale along the fence line, lined it with river rock. It slows the water and keeps it from pooling near the house.
- Tried a dry well once, but honestly, it filled up fast and just made a muddy mess. Smaller fixes spread out have been way easier to manage.
If you go with rain gardens or swales, mulch helps soak up extra water too. Just takes some trial and error... nothing’s perfect, but at least it doesn’t break the bank.
Love the creativity here. Swales and river rock are underrated—seriously, they look good and actually work. Dry wells can be such a pain, right? I tried one once and it just turned into a mosquito haven. Trial and error really is the name of the game with drainage stuff... you’re making it work without blowing the budget, which is half the battle.
Dry wells can be such a pain, right? I tried one once and it just turned into a mosquito haven.
Totally get what you mean about dry wells. I had the same issue—ended up being more of a swamp than a solution. Have you thought about a shallow trench with river rock leading away from the pool area? It’s not as deep as a swale but still channels water, and you can plant around it to help soak things up. Curious if anyone’s tried using rain barrels for pool drainage? Wondering if that’s overkill or actually practical...
Curious if anyone’s tried using rain barrels for pool drainage? Wondering if that’s overkill or actually practical...
Funny you mention rain barrels—I tried hooking one up to my backwash line last summer. It filled up in about two minutes, then overflowed everywhere. Not super practical for a whole pool, but maybe if you just need to drain a little at a time? The trench with river rock is way less hassle in my experience. Plants love it, too, as long as you don’t go overboard and turn it into a creek.
It filled up in about two minutes, then overflowed everywhere.
Yep, that's been my experience too—rain barrels just can't keep up with pool water. Tried it once, ended up with a mini pond in the flower beds. The river rock trench idea is solid though. Plants were way happier with that setup, and I didn't have to babysit a barrel. Sometimes the simplest fix wins.