Makes me wonder: has anyone tried redirecting the water into rain barrels or some kind of storage? I keep thinking there’s got to be a clever way to reuse at least some of it, but maybe that’s just me overcomplicating again...
You’re not overcomplicating at all—using rain barrels is actually a pretty smart move if you’ve got the space. Here’s a quick rundown of how I set mine up last summer:
1. I grabbed a couple of those big food-grade barrels off Craigslist (make sure they didn’t hold anything toxic).
2. Drilled a hole near the bottom for a spigot, then sealed it with a bulkhead fitting.
3. Ran my pool hose right into the top, using a mesh screen to keep out leaves and bugs.
4. When the barrel fills, I just swap the hose to the next one or let the overflow run into a flower bed.
It’s not perfect—sometimes you get a little algae if you don’t use the water fast enough—but it beats watching all that water go to waste. Just keep in mind, if you’ve used pool chemicals recently, some plants might not love it. I stick to watering shrubs and non-edibles, just in case.
Honestly, it’s way less hassle than digging trenches or messing with French drains. Sometimes “good enough” is exactly right.
I’ve tried something similar but ran into a snag with how fast the barrels fill up—pool water drains way quicker than I ever expected. I ended up stringing together a few barrels with PVC, but honestly, it still overflowed unless I babysat the whole setup. Ever mess around with those big flexible totes instead of regular barrels? Wondering if they’re any easier to deal with when you’ve got a lot of water moving at once...
Honestly, I’ve tried those big flexible totes and they’re not the magic fix I hoped for. They’ll hold more than barrels, sure, but if you’re draining a whole pool, you’re still gonna hit that overflow problem unless you slow the flow way down. What’s worked better for me is running a long hose out to the street or a storm drain (if your city allows it). Gravity does the work, and you don’t have to babysit a bunch of containers. The totes are just a pain to move when full, too... learned that the hard way.
Honestly, you nailed it about those big flexible totes. I’ve seen folks get excited about them, but once they fill up, you’re left with a back-breaking job and a mess to deal with. You mentioned:
The totes are just a pain to move when full, too... learned that the hard way.
Couldn’t agree more. Last time I tried that route for a client, we ended up with a torn tote and a muddy driveway. Lesson learned.
I do like your approach of running a hose out to the street or storm drain (assuming it’s legal in your area). That’s usually the least stressful option if you can get enough drop for gravity to work. Have you ever tried using a submersible pump with a long discharge hose? Sometimes you can rent one with enough power to push water pretty far, so you don’t have to rely on gravity alone—just watch the flow rate so you don’t overwhelm your drainage spot.
One thing I’ve run into is city rules about where you can send pool water. Some places are picky about chlorine getting into storm drains. Ever had to deal with that? Sometimes the workaround is letting the chlorine dissipate for a few days before draining, but it’s a hassle if you’re on a schedule.
If you’ve got landscaping nearby, I’ve heard of people spreading out the flow by moving the hose around every half hour or so—kind of like watering the lawn with pool water. Not perfect, but it beats flooding one patch of grass.
Anyway, sounds like you’ve got the right idea. It’s always trial and error with this stuff. At least now you know not to trust those totes for anything bigger than a kiddie pool...
