How Anyone Can Take Down an Above Ground Swimming Pool

Splish splash in the backyard

As a youngster, I enjoyed the water very much and always looked forward to the dog days of summer. I would spend most of the day in the water, playing with my friends until we looked like wrinkled prunes. No one gave it a second thought to the maintenance involved, or the costs of floats and toys, chemicals to keep the water sparkling or the increased electric bill for the pump filter. Children only see and dream about the fun of jumping in, doing “cannonballs”, diving and practicing backstrokes. Swimming pool removal Sydney is capable of cleaning up the messed on your pool.

Then one day someone noticed that the liner is worn out and needs replacing, or no one is interesting in using it anymore or the chemicals are running over $100. a month.The day came when the decision was made to take it down. Removing a backyard above-ground pool by yourself may sound like a Herculean task, but I promise that it can be done. Before taking on this job, you must have the right mindset. It will not be done in 1 day; 3-4 days from start to finish is a more realistic goal. Organization and patience are the greatest needs. I will offer an easy alternative at the end.

Cooling off in my own pool up until a few years ago was enjoyable until I had to do all the cleaning, winter storage, chemical maintenance and upkeep of the parts. It seemed that the filter, and pump parts were costing more and more. The equipment such as the leaf skimmer, intake filter, ladder too, were wearing out faster than I remembered as a kid.

Moment of clarity

I started to realize that the fun part was shrinking and the work part increased. My moment of clarity arrived one morning after watching the pool level drop for the third day after filling the pool with water.

Actually the decision to discard the it came after emptying the water to replace the worn out liner and seeing the rusty holes of the interior walls! The photo below is my actual pool and how it looked when the walls were taken down. What fun that was!

Pool down

Tools Needed

Here is the list of tools needed to take down an on ground pool.

heavy duty metal cutters
cordless drill
cordless screwdriver
Phillips head and straight edge screw bits
sump pump
50 foot garden hose
rope
bungee cords
large boxes

Steps Required to take Down a Swimming Pool

The following steps will help make the job a lot easier:

Connect the hose to the top connector on the sump pump and lower the pump in the middle of the pool. Be sure to walk the end of the hose as far from the pool as possible.

Plug in the sump pump to the outside outlet and check to see that water is coming out of the hose. This may take three days if you have a large pool such as a 24′ x 4′ pool.

When the water is so low that the pump is sucking in air, then unplug it. Remove sump pump and remove the hose from it.
Remove the filter hoses, clamps, intake and pool filter away from the pool, if you haven’t already done this. Set the filter and pump aside, put it out of the way.

With the sharp scissor or knife, begin cutting the liner all around the top edge. Walk around the pool outside or inside ;whichever is easier As the liner drops,begin to pull it towards the middle,away from the wall

Start removing the top connecting panels of the pool with a cordless drill or screwdriver in reverse to remove the screws. As each panel is removed, place them in a large box

Now start unscrewing the wall, where it meets These bolts or screws will be larger and may require some help. After the wall is opened up, start cutting 3 foot sections of it with the heavy duty metal cutters. This will make the job of removing the pool wall much easier.

After cutting and removing the sections of the pool wall, the bottom metal rim that held the wall up will need to be disassembled. Start pulling it up out of the dirt or sand and unscrew the bolts. A few large boxes will probably be needed to store the pieces.

How NOT to take Down a Pool

Tips to Make the Job Easier

I have some tips to make your job and life a little easier.

First, please have enough patience for this job and be organized for this project.

It will take at least three to four days from start to finish. Don’t try to rush this process, as it is bigger than you and it will win.

Next,be prepared for problems. Rust can make the job tougher. Metal pieces will break off and bolts don’t always unscrew.

Lastly,You may need help to lift the metal wall sections out and roll up. They are heavy so don’t strain yourself. If you cut the wall into smaller parts, roll it up and tie it with a rope or bungee cord, it will be much easier to remove.

You may want to take the parts down to the local dump if allowed in your area.

I’m not sure the trash collector would be so happy to see all this at the curb.

I know you can do this job by yourself, since I did it by myself.

If you can get help, then do so! make a party out of it. Offer refreshments and have a BBQ..

How to Set up Inflatable Pool Video

Dengarden»Swimming Pools & Hot Tubs

How Anyone Can Take Down an Above Ground Swimming Pool
Updated on December 16, 2017
Stacie L profile image
Stacie L more

Stacie L became a DIYer for many reasons-mostly to save money. She has tips that she has used herself to help with your DYI projects.
above ground swimming pool
above ground swimming pool
Splish splash in the backyard

Here is the list of tools needed to take down an on ground pool.

heavy duty metal cutters

cordless drill

cordless screwdriver

Phillips head and straight edge screw bits

sump pump

50 foot garden hose

rope

bungee cords

large boxes

Steps Required to take Down a Swimming Pool

The following steps will help make the job a lot easier:

Connect the hose to the top connector on the sump pump and lower the pump in the middle of the pool. Be sure to walk the end of the hose as far from the pool as possible.
plug in the sump pump to the outside outlet and check to see that water is coming out of the hose. This may take three days if you have a large pool such as a 24′ x 4′ pool.
When the water is so low that the pump is sucking in air, then unplug it. Remove sump pump and remove the hose from it.
Remove the filter hoses, clamps, intake and pool filter away from the pool, if you haven’t already done this. Set the filter and pump aside, put it out of the way.
With the sharp scissor or knife, begin cutting the liner all around the top edge. Walk around the pool outside or inside ;whichever is easier As the liner drops,begin to pull it towards the middle,away from the wall
Start removing the top connecting panels of the pool with a cordless drill or screwdriver in reverse to remove the screws. As each panel is removed, place them in a large box
Now start unscrewing the wall, where it meets These bolts or screws will be larger and may require some help. After the wall is opened up, start cutting 3 foot sections of it with the heavy duty metal cutters. This will make the job of removing the pool wall much easier.
After cutting and removing the sections of the pool wall, the bottom metal rim that held the wall up will need to be disassembled. Start pulling it up out of the dirt or sand and unscrew the bolts. A few large boxes will probably be needed to store the pieces.

How NOT to take Down a Pool

Tips to Make the Job Easier

I have some tips to make your job and life a little easier.

First, please have enough patience for this job and be organized for this project.

It will take at least three to four days from start to finish. Don’t try to rush this process, as it is bigger than you and it will win.

Next,be prepared for problems. Rust can make the job tougher. Metal pieces will break off and bolts don’t always unscrew.

You may want to take the parts down to the local dump if allowed in your area.

I’m not sure the trash collector would be so happy to see all this at the curb.

I know you can do this job by yourself, since I did it by myself.

If you can get help, then do so! make a party out of it. Offer refreshments and have a BBQ..

How to Set up Inflatable Pool Video

An Easy Alternative to the traditional backyard pool

If you really miss the fun of the backyard swimming pool and can’t deal with the work, then here’s the perfect solution. A good replacement pool that is easy to assemble and take down in the winter is the soft sided, inflatable pool.

It is lightweight, doesn’t have the traditional steel walls, and supports to assemble, much less expensive to maintain.

There are several brands on the market and most large box stores carry them. Intex seems to be the most popular brand of soft sided inflatable pools so check their products first.