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drmeow3

Salt water pool and lawn

drmeow3
15 years ago

Hi all,

We have a salt water pool which we need to drain down a little to reduce the amount of salt and hardness. My husband was going to drain it in the yard and I had a fit (the salt is at about 3700 ppm). However, I thought I should check with people who might know more than I do. How much would draining a couple thousand gallons of the water do to our yard? I'm assuming it would be a pretty bad thing.

Because it might make a different - we get flood irrigation.

meow

Comments (11)

  • drmeow3
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks for the response. My understanding was that softened water should not be used to water plants but maybe that's just indoor potted plants? I wondered if the flood irrigation would flush the salt out the same flooding a potted plant will flush out the salt but I thought I read something on this forum a few years ago about the build up of salt due to flood irrigation, "Flood irrigation has its ... minuses - inconvenient schedules, salt buildup, ...." http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/azgard/msg0911311426181.html

    Also, what about the chlorine?

    I'm planning to take out about 1/2 the Bermuda next year and put in dessert landscaping so obviously that won't be watered with either the flood irrigation or the pool water. I am mostly concerned about the potential build up of salts in the soil in those areas prior to the conversion.

    meo

  • jonathan_blaylock_gmail_com
    13 years ago

    I have a "Rainsoft" water softener/conditioner system, and while I'm supposed to bypass it when I water the lawn, I forget to more often than not. Last summer, I never once remembered to bypass it. So, I watered my lawn for 30 minutes a day about 3 times a week for about 3 months straight, and there were no ill effects on my lawn resulting from the salt. This would lead me to believe the salt water system for the pool, upon draining, would not damage the yard.

    Plus, the manufacturers obviously realize that the pool will need to be drained eventualy, and I doubt they would create a product that would kill the entire yard, and thus kill their sales due to bad feedback.

  • johnbennett1
    9 years ago

    I drain my above ground. I got lazy and drain my pool on the yard and my peach tree salt water. Will it my peach tree. The tree is about 5 years old

  • johnbennett1
    9 years ago

    Will the salt kill my fruit tree

  • aztreelvr
    9 years ago

    If you only drain your pool once every 3 - 4 years as is recommended, your tree should be fine. During the months in between, you'll be using potable water and if you are watering deeply, it will push any accumulated salts down below the root zone. Try to backwash your pool on your grass areas only. Here is more information on salt sensitivity and landscape plants and how to manage it. Using pool water on landscapes

  • grubby_AZ Tucson Z9
    9 years ago

    Perhaps, with enough time because it's slow, you could siphon it down with a water hose and let the hose end drain to a "safe" spot?


  • Fascist_Nation
    9 years ago

    Personally I'd put it down the alley. Soil has enough salt without old, evaporated salt water with chlorine being put on it. Plus it is sodium ions---the worst salt of the bunch. I will admit it is only about 1/10th as salty as the ocean so can be used, but I would not think it the great benefit over the long run.

  • aztreelvr
    6 years ago

    Most cities have regulations on where you can drain your pool water. Pool and spa water discharges should be maintained on private property (like your landscape), or in a sanitary sewer cleanout on private property - a three or four inch black pipe about level with the landscaping, typically located close to the home. Alleys and streets are not private property.

  • Doug Stark
    5 years ago

    I'm late responding, but draining your pool water onto your soil/ yard is about the worst idea you can do. Put the extra pool water into the sanitary sewer like aztreelvr recommended.

  • HU-964747818666048
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    What is a sanitary sewer clean out. Been looking for a solution to what I’m goin to do with my salt water when I’m done for the yr. we really didn’t have any regulations to dumping down the sewer drain but now I live out of town and no here to dump it now. Other than haul it away or dump on my lawn. How much ppm will start to harm lawns/plants.