How To Drain An Intex Pool – Complete Guide

Last Updated on December 28, 2021

Draining water sounds simple enough, but just like everything else pool-related, there is more to it if you want to keep your pool in good condition.  We are going to cover the best ways to drain the pool, as well as other tips that you need to know.

Here are the three methods we cover:

• Using a submersible pump
• Siphoning
• Using the drain adapter

Why You May Need To Drain Your Pool

There are several different reasons why you have to know how to drain an Intex pool. One of the most obvious reasons is to store your pool

Intex and other vinyl pools are made to either winterize (adding winter chemicals and covering it) or to drain & store it away during the winter months.  Draining your Intex pool can be beneficial if you live in a colder climate. Some pool warranties will void the pool is left out in climates that are colder than 41degrees Fahrenheit which is why it is so important to double-check the manual/warranty.

Storing your pool can also free up some needed space in your yard or deck.

Draining your Intex pool is also a must if you want to store your pool during the cold months. And if you don’t want to go through the whole process of winterizing your pool.

We already covered the different reasons why you should drain your swimming pool, you can check that out if you want to know more information about the importance of draining your pool.

Using a Submersible Pump

The fastest method to drain an Intex pool is by using a submersible pump that will suck the water out of your pool.

These electric pumps will cost you a little money but they will save you a lot of time when you need to drain your pool. Where siphoning or using the drain valve may take over a day to drain – you can complete the drain in a few hours using a pump.

You don’t need to spend a lot on a pump – even the simple ones will get the job done.

Here are a few pumps we recommend:

Draining With A Siphon

Siphoning is another option to get the water out of the pool.  Siphoning water out of your pool is probably the most common method used since some smaller pools may not have a drain valve. 

Even though siphoning is a common method to drain pool water – first you need to understand exactly how to get it started. It is kind of like a mini science experiment!

For this method – all you need is a simple garden hose. The length of the hose needed depends on where you want the water to drain. If you just want to drain it out into your lawn, then maybe a short hose will be fine. However, if you want to drain it to your driveway then you may need a longer hose.

For this process, we will siphon by submersion. Here are the basic steps

1. Place the entire hose in the water.  Hold both ends under water until the bubbles stop – meaning that the entire hose is filled with water.
2. Next, put your thumb or hand over one end of the hose and pull that end out of the water while keeping it covered.
3. Now, place the end you are holding below the level of the end that is in the water 
4. Make sure the end which is in the water, stays under the surface at all times.  Once the end outside the pool is lower than the level of the pool, release your finger and water will flow out.

Keep in mind that when siphoning, it will not be possible to drain all the water out of your pool. After reaching a certain water level, usually a few inches, you will need to remove the rest of the water manually.

If you still aren’t sure how to make this work – here is a brief video explaining the concept.

LIFE HACK how to drain / siphon with a short hose

Using the Drain Adapter Valve

Another inexpensive way to drain your pool is by utilizing the drain valve of your Intex pool if it’s equipped with one.

Just a reminder to pool owners. Never open your drain valve without connecting a hose to it first. You don’t want to drain your pool water where your Intex pool currently stands. It might affect the integrity of the ground or surface your pool is currently on and you increase the risk of damage to your pool structure.

You can connect the female end of your garden hose to the drain connector. For other Intex pools, you may have to screw a hose adapter with your female garden hose end before you can connect it to your drain valve.

This process is faster than siphoning your pool water, but not as fast compared to using a submersible pump.

Complete Guide On How To Drain An Intex Pool

How To Drain An Intex Pool: Easy Set or Pools with Inflatable Top Ring

Knowing how to drain your Intex kiddie pool or Easy set pool is an important process in maintaining and cleaning it.

For Intex kiddie pools with inflatable top rings or the Easy Set pools, they often don’t have a drain valve to drain the pool water, so you’ll have to do it using a garden hose or a submersible pump.

For this guide, we will use a simple garden hose.

How To Drain An Intex Pool: Framed Intex Pool Sets

Draining your Intex pool framed set is going to be a little different than draining an Easy set pool.

Since we already discussed siphoning your pool water using a garden hose on the earlier guide.

Here are the steps for draining Intex framed pool sets with the help of the drain valve.

Draining Intex Pool With Drain Valve

The first step is still to test your pool water chemistry levels.

After that, you must locate your drain valve and gather the necessary equipment to drain your pool water out.

Set up your garden hose to an area where you want the drained pool water to go.

Connect your hose adapter to your garden hose and then connect this to your drain valve to start draining your pool water.

Remove the cap in your Intex framed pool set. This is on the bottom inside your Intex pool. Removing it will let water pass through your drain valve.

Once removed, all you have to do now is wait for the pool water to be drained.

We recommend doing this at night, so by morning, your pool is completely drained.

Give it some time to dry completely, then you could start folding your Intex pool for storage.

Draining Intex Pool With A Submersible Pool Pump

Another method to drain water from your Intex pool is by using an electric pool pump.

You just need to drop the intake hose of the pool pump at the center of your pool and place the outlet hose somewhere away from your pool area, make sure it’s on a level area to avoid flooding.

Once you see that the water level is dropping, you can leave it unattended and check it from time to time to see if everything is working properly. The drain time will be much shorter than using a garden hose or the drain valve, so don’t leave the pool unattended for long.

You must turn the equipment off once the water level is too low for further draining, approximately 6 to 12 inches deep.

What To Avoid When Draining Your Intex Pool

Draining your pool may cause damage to your Intex pool, and that is something we are trying to prevent from happening. Here are some of the things you should avoid doing when draining your Intex pool.

Not checking your pool water chemistry

As mentioned earlier, always check your pool water chemistry before draining it to avoid damaging your plants or hurting other living creatures near your place.

There’s a good reason why guidelines were set when it comes to where you should discharge your pool water.

Do not open the drain valve as is

Never open your Intex pool’s drain valve without connecting an adapter and a hose to it.

We know how easy it seems to drain your pool by just opening up your drain valve, but we highly suggest not doing that.

Draining your pool water that way, especially if it’s in your backyard, may cause your pool to sink to where it’s standing.

And it will make it harder for you to dry your pool if outside of it is a pool of water.

Not drying your pool completely

If you’re going to store your pool for an extended time, then you should make sure that it is dried completely.

Folding your pool when there’s still noticeable moisture on it may cause the vinyl to stick together and it may also stain your pool while it’s in storage.

Recommended Accessories For Draining An Intex Pool

Since draining your pool does not require any complex equipment or tools, here are some of the accessories we use to drain ours. And it may be of good use to you too.

For our garden hose, we bought the GrowGreen Heavy Duty Expandable Garden Hose. It has different sizes, but for our pool, we got a 25-foot hose.

If you need a hose adapter, but it seems you can’t find one that’ll work for your specific Intex pool set. You can try purchasing this Intex Garden Hose Drain Plug Connector that fits all Intex above ground pool sets.

No products found.

For submersible pumps, we highly suggest getting the Goplus Utility Water Pump. Based on its current reviews, many pool owners loved using this item.

If you don’t have a complete set of maintenance kit for your Intex pool, you may also grab this Intex Deluxe Maintenance Kit at an affordable price. The kit includes a 110″ telescoping aluminum shaft, a vacuum that will utilize your pool filter system, debris skimmer, and scrub brush heads.

Final Thoughts

Draining your Intex pool should not be a tedious process. With the right equipment and knowing what to do, you can easily drain your Intex pool without much trouble.

We hope that this guide on how to drain an Intex pool helped you, and if some instructions may seem different for your Intex pool model, please refer to your pool’s product manual for more specific instructions.

Intex Ultra Frame Pool Draining and Take Down

Photo by andrewcbraithwaite