Drain The Pool - How To Remove An In-Ground Swimming Pool

First step:  Drain the mess.

You can use a variety of tools to do this.  Here are some options:

• Electric sump pump:  This will work, yes, but slowly.   A pool is somewhere around 15,000 gallons and assuming a sump pump moves 30 gallons per minute at 10' head you're looking at a little over 8 hours and a correspondingly high electric bill.  Not a big deal if you already have a one and compare it to the cost of renting a:

• Gas-powered trash pump: these little workhorses are powered by a 5-8 hp gas engine and can really move some water, usually about 180-250 GPM.

• A firetruck: Do you remember the show "Tool Time" which was a sub-show of "Home Improvement"?  Tim Allen would grunt whenever he was explaining how some new, giant tool would do work faster, etc.  This is an accurate portrayal of what it felt like getting to pump out our pool with an antique 1917 (!) American LaFrance fire engine courtesy of my father-in-law.  Here's a video for your enjoyment; note the failure of the ancient fire hose which covered all of us with pond water:

Pool's empty?  OK, on to Partial Deck Demolition