How often should a pool be drained?

Only when testing shows it is needed. A well-kept pool can go several years between drains, while a pool fed by chlorine tablets or very hard fill water may need one sooner.

How long will my pool be empty?

As briefly as possible. For a simple drain and refill, hoses go in as soon as the pool is cleaned. With an acid wash, the pool stays empty only for that work.

Can I just drain my pool into the street myself?

No. Chlorinated water, salt water and filter backwash all face restrictions, and many areas require a sewer connection instead. We handle the discharge so it is legal for your address.

Do you drain saltwater pools?

Yes, with extra planning, because disposal options for salt water are more limited. We confirm the route first, then add salt back to your system's specified level after the refill.

Pool Drain and Refill in Los Angeles

Pool drain and refill in Los Angeles is the reset button for water that chemicals can no longer fix. Pools slowly collect dissolved minerals, stabilizer and salts that never evaporate or filter out, and replacing the water is the practical way to remove them.

It should not be a frequent job. The EPA's WaterSense program says a well-maintained pool should only need draining every 3 to 7 years to keep total dissolved solids down. (Source: U.S. EPA WaterSense) A typical in-ground home pool holds about 15,000 gallons, so we confirm the need first. (Source: California Urban Water Conservation Council)

Refilling a pool with fresh water after a drain. Tap to play (9 sec, sound on). See more videos

What's Included in a Pool Drain and Refill

A test and a clear reason. Calcium, stabilizer, dissolved solids or contamination, confirmed before any water leaves.
A discharge plan. The right outlet and flow rate for your address.
A controlled drain. Equipment off at the breaker and a submersible pump doing the work, so your pool pump never runs dry.
Cleaning while empty. Debris out and walls rinsed. It is the right moment for tile and calcium cleaning or a pool acid wash.
Refill and start-up. Fill water balanced, stabilizer and salt added, equipment restarted.

Signs Your Pool Needs a Drain and Refill

Stabilizer too high. Years of chlorine tablets build cyanuric acid until chlorine barely works. The CDC's model code for public pools caps it at 90 ppm, and dilution is the only practical way down. (Source: CDC)
Calcium or dissolved solids overload. Scale keeps returning on tile and in the salt cell, and balancing takes more product each month.
Heavy contamination. Months of sludge, fire debris or a chemical spill.
Surface work ahead. An acid wash or deep tile cleaning needs an empty pool anyway.

Chemistry that will not stay balanced? Call to find out if a drain and refill is the fix.

Call (877) 720-8124

Our Drain and Refill Process

Test and planWe test, check the forecast and confirm where the water can legally go.
DechlorinateChlorine is allowed to drop or is neutralized before draining.
DrainA submersible pump empties the pool at a rate the outlet can take.
Clean the empty poolDebris and sludge come out, and any acid wash or tile work happens now.
Refill right awayHoses go in as soon as the work ends, so the shell is not left exposed.
Start up the chemistryWe balance the water, add stabilizer and chlorine, and restart the equipment, using the same testing as our pool chemical service. The CDC recommends pH 7.0 to 7.8 and at least 2 ppm free chlorine in pools that use stabilizer. (Source: CDC)

Where the Water Goes: LA Draining Rules

In the City of Los Angeles, only dechlorinated or debrominated pool water may enter the storm drain system, and commercial or public pool filter backwash may never go there. (Source: Los Angeles Municipal Code 64.70.02) Our practice is simpler: your pool water never goes down the driveway or into the street.

In unincorporated LA County, the county's pool permit statement allows discharge to the sanitary sewer through a 3-inch P-trap, for fresh water pools only, not salt water pools, and accepts five days of standing without added chlorine as a way to dechlorinate. (Source: LA County Public Works) Salt pools need their route confirmed with the local agency first.

LA Sanitation's pool drainage protocol for fire-affected Palisades pools sends water to the home's sewer cleanout, never the driveway, gutter or storm drain, and bars draining within 24 hours before forecast rain or 48 hours after. (Source: LA Sanitation) It is fire-area guidance, not a citywide permit rule, and we follow it where it applies.

Why We Never Leave a Pool Empty

Water weight holds an in-ground shell down against groundwater. LA County Public Health advises against draining when the ground is unstable or groundwater is high, because the pool can shift or crack. (Source: LA County Public Health) We check for a hydrostatic relief valve, drain in dry weather and refill promptly, one more reason our owner-operated company handles the whole job itself.

Drain and Refill Options Compared

Option	Best for	Trade-offs
Full drain and refill	Overloaded water, acid wash or heavy contamination	Uses a full pool of water and needs a legal discharge route
Partial drain and dilution	Stabilizer or calcium only moderately high	Less water, and weight stays on the shell; may need repeating
Mobile reverse osmosis	Saving water; the EPA notes some larger systems recover up to 85% of it (Source: U.S. EPA)	A separate specialty trailer service; does not clean the surface
Keep the water and adjust	Chemistry that is off but not overloaded	Cannot lower stabilizer or dissolved solids

What Affects the Cost of a Pool Drain and Refill

Pool and spa volume
The discharge route and how far hoses must run
Debris or sludge left in the empty pool
Work done while empty, such as an acid wash
Fill water hardness and the start-up chemicals it needs
Salt for saltwater pools

Call (877) 720-8124 for a free quote on a pool drain and refill in Los Angeles. Or browse all our LA County pool services.