Hi

We recently bought a house with a fountain in the backyard. The
fountain is built with a rock cascade and a small pool set into the
ground. The pool is about 2 ft x 6 ft and about 2 ft deep. During
summer it was fun. Now that winter rains are starting, we are looking
at a good way to keep the pool drained. We will not be using the
fountain for the winter that much. But we want to avoid the standing
water accumulating from the rain. We are in San Fransisco area. So no
problem of freezing :-)

The pool seems to be a pre-fabricated sheet metal one which has been
set into a hole in the ground. I can see a drainhole at the bottom
center with a draincover similar to those you can see in the
bathtub/shower stalls. Obviously the drain hole is closed for normal
use. I can not find any way to open it up. What should I look for. Any
way to find out if the drain hole is actually connected to a actual
draining outlet ( the construction might have been done without that
feature ).

We can periodically go and run the pump to remove the water. But we
are looking for a option with less maintanence.


Any comments and suggestions from the experienced netters are highly
welcome.

Thanks.

-Dipu

(Dipu) writes in article dated 19 Nov 2004 12:38:46 -0800:
The pool seems to be a pre-fabricated sheet metal one which has been
set into a hole in the ground. I can see a drainhole at the bottom
center with a draincover similar to those you can see in the
bathtub/shower stalls. Obviously the drain hole is closed for normal
use. I can not find any way to open it up. What should I look for. Any
way to find out if the drain hole is actually connected to a actual
draining outlet ( the construction might have been done without that
feature ).

We can periodically go and run the pump to remove the water. But we
are looking for a option with less maintanence.

Might the drain hole lead only to the pump? In that case, running the pump
would be pretty much the only way.

A couple of suggestions:

1. Put the pump on a timer, so it runs the fountain for 30 minutes per day.

2. Use a "sump pump" type setup, where the pump is triggered by a certain
water level and it's set to pump the water out of the pool. You can buy a
sump pump float switch and plug the fountain pump into that.

-- spud_demon -at- thundermaker.net
The above may not (yet) represent the opinions of my employer.

The problem is finally solved. A friend suggested to look for a outlet
drain. Lookng around the fountain, hidden behind a bush, there was a
draincover installed on the ground. When I opened it, I found a valve
about 1.5 ft deep into the ground. That was the drain valve. When I
opened it up, the water drained out completely. That solves my
problem. I am going to keep that valve open for the rest of the rainy
season. Of course now I have the nasty job of cleaning up the rotting
leaves :-(

-Dipu




(Spud Demon) wrote in message ...
(Dipu) writes in article dated 19 Nov 2004 12:38:46 -0800:
The pool seems to be a pre-fabricated sheet metal one which has been
set into a hole in the ground. I can see a drainhole at the bottom
center with a draincover similar to those you can see in the
bathtub/shower stalls. Obviously the drain hole is closed for normal
use. I can not find any way to open it up. What should I look for. Any
way to find out if the drain hole is actually connected to a actual
draining outlet ( the construction might have been done without that
feature ).

We can periodically go and run the pump to remove the water. But we
are looking for a option with less maintanence.

Might the drain hole lead only to the pump? In that case, running the pump
would be pretty much the only way.

A couple of suggestions:

1. Put the pump on a timer, so it runs the fountain for 30 minutes per day.

2. Use a "sump pump" type setup, where the pump is triggered by a certain
water level and it's set to pump the water out of the pool. You can buy a
sump pump float switch and plug the fountain pump into that.

-- spud_demon -at- thundermaker.net
The above may not (yet) represent the opinions of my employer.