main drain plug question - 50 yr old cement pool

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irini
I'm new here
I'm new here
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed 12 Feb, 2020 19:42
My Pool: Cement old pool. 2 inlets. 1 main outlet in deep end. 2 skimmer pods.
pump = ancient but working
sand filter also ancient
no water coming out of pool to pump - main outlet in deep end of pool seems 'shut' - like there is a piece of piping in it or something blocking the outlet.

main drain plug question - 50 yr old cement pool

Postby irini » Wed 12 Feb, 2020 21:12

Hi there, we are new pool owners and have inherited a 50 year old sunken cement pool. It was like a green pond with many frogs in it when we began working with it. It has 2 pipe outlets at the shallow end for inflow, 2 filter type outlets - 1 at deep end and 1 on the longside - and a main drain outlet in the deep end. Well at first when we turned on the pump nothing happened. All the equipment is very, very old. We took the 40 year old pump to the pump people and they replaced a rubber ring. Pump works. It spurted out water into the pool at shallow end for a burst then stopped and we suddenly began losing A LOT of water. Yesterday we found the outlet pump that runs into the pump house had come away from the connection and so quite possibly the water all drained away there. We reconnected that pvc piping but there is no draw from the main outlet in the deep end of the pool - no water comes into the pump. Here is where we are stumped...

The pool now has about upper thigh level water remaining due to the initial leakage and hot summer evaporation. When we explore the main outlet it is a hole in the cement floor that we can put a metal rod down about 15cm (150mm) when it hits a bottom. There is no 90degree opening to another pipe or indication that there is a plug to remove or anything to turn or grab hold of to take out...

We live remotely and getting any pool assistance is difficult. Those folk we've asked to check it out don't know and so here I am... I read online something about people putting their pools to rest over winter and they use a plug of sorts to plug a wee hole in the main drain and wonder if that's what the previous owners did before they let it go and become a frog pond full of green gunk etc.

Please can anyone tell us a) what does such a plug look like b) can it be removed c) how do we do that d) if it's not a plug, any suggestions as to why the main hole seems to have a definite bottom to it and why it's not drawing water out?

Our appreciation in anticipation of help is great!

Kindly,
Irini


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