How to Remove an Above-Ground or Inground Swimming Pool

Above-Ground Versus Inground Pools: What the Job Actually Looks Like

An above-ground pool sits directly on the ground, held together by interlocking metal or resin uprights, top rails, and a thin rolled metal wall. Taking it down is a mechanical disassembly job. Two adults with standard wrenches, screwdrivers, and a utility knife can dismantle it over a weekend. You cut up the liner, unbolt the frame, scrap the metal, and rake the sand base flat.

An inground pool is an entirely different scale of demolition. Whether built from poured concrete, gunite, steel walls with a vinyl liner, or a one-piece fiberglass pool shell, it is an engineered structure sunk deep into the earth. Concrete pools are reinforced with heavy steel rebar. You cannot break them down with a simple sledgehammer. The job requires heavy machinery like a tracked excavator with a hydraulic breaker, dump trucks to haul away rubble, and truckloads of fill dirt.

Understanding this difference sets your expectations early. An above-ground pool is a manageable do-it-yourself project. An inground pool requires an experienced excavation contractor who can demolish the shell, manage drainage, and pack the dirt correctly.

Disconnecting Utilities and Draining the Water Safely

Before unfastening a single bolt or bringing heavy machinery onto your lawn, you must safely disconnect all utilities and drain the water. Rushing this stage creates severe hazards, including flooded basements, electric shock, and broken gas lines.

Work through this safety checklist before starting any physical teardown:

• Shut off power at the main breaker box. Pool pumps, heaters, and lights run on high-voltage circuits. Turn off the dedicated breakers inside your main household panel rather than using the outdoor switch near the equipment pad. If you have underground conduits leading to the pool, hire a licensed electrician to disconnect and cap the wires safely.
• Shut off and cap all gas lines. Pool heaters connect directly to your household natural gas or propane line. Have your utility company or a licensed plumber close the gas valve, disconnect the heater, and thread a tight cap onto the pipe. Never cut or disconnect gas lines on your own.
• Review local water drainage rules. You cannot let thousands of gallons of water wash across neighboring yards. Many towns forbid draining chlorinated water into street storm drains because storm gutters empty into local creeks. You may need to let chlorine drop to zero or pump the water into your home sanitary sewer cleanout port.
• Rent a submersible trash pump. Never use your pool circulation pump to drain the pool completely. Once the water level drops below the skimmer opening, the pump pulls air, runs dry, and overheats. A rented submersible pump with a long discharge hose empties the water safely down to the floor.

Taking Down an Above-Ground Pool with Hand Tools

Taking down a freestanding above-ground pool is straightforward if you work in the right order. Trying to dismantle the frame while water or a heavy liner remains inside can buckle the walls and cause injuries. Follow these steps in sequence:

1. Pump out every gallon of water. Even a few inches of standing water adds thousands of pounds of pressure against the pool walls. Emptying the pool completely removes this outward force and makes the materials safe to handle.
2. Disconnect the pump, filter, and exterior hoses. Loosen the hose clamps at the skimmer and return jets with a flathead screwdriver or nut driver. Removing the plumbing first clears a safe walkway around the perimeter so you do not trip while handling wall panels.
3. Unscrew the top rails and ledge covers. Remove the top caps and metal rails around the rim of the pool using a cordless drill or socket wrench. Taking off these top rails frees the plastic coping strips that secure the vinyl liner to the wall.
4. Cut and remove the vinyl liner. Slice the liner into small, manageable strips with a utility knife, cutting from the top edge down toward the floor. Rolling the vinyl into small bundles makes disposal easy because a wet, full-sized liner is too heavy and slippery to lift.
5. Unbolt the vertical wall seam. Locate the vertical seam where the continuous steel wall bolts together, then remove the hardware while a helper supports both sides. Holding the wall prevents the metal from folding inward or creasing under its own weight as the seam opens.
6. Roll the metal wall into a tight cylinder. Walk the steel or aluminum wall inward, rolling it tightly like a carpet and securing it with ratchet straps as you go. Rolling the wall controls sharp metal edges and stops wind gusts from catching the loose sheet.
7. Pull up the upright posts and bottom tracks. Lift the vertical posts off their base plates, then pry the curved bottom tracks out of the dirt. Clearing away all metal hardware prevents mower blades from hitting hidden steel parts later.
8. Rake and level the sand base. Above-ground pools sit on a two-to-three-inch bed of masonry sand to cushion the liner. Spread this sand across the lawn with a garden rake or shovel it into low spots on your property to prepare the ground for fresh topsoil and grass seed.

Inground Pool Options: Complete Removal Versus Partial Fill-In

Homeowners taking out an inground pool face two demolition paths: a partial fill-in or a full removal. Both methods leave you with a flat, grassy yard, but what remains underneath the soil is completely different.

A partial fill-in, often called a pool cave-in, is the faster and less expensive method. The contractor uses an excavator with a hydraulic breaker to punch several large drainage holes through the concrete floor. This step is critical because without drainage holes, the buried floor acts like a giant underground bowl that traps rainwater. Next, the crew knocks down the top two to three feet of the concrete walls, dropping the rubble into the deep end. They then fill the rest of the crater with backfill (clean dirt and crushed gravel used to fill the hole) and pack it down tightly.

The main drawback of a partial fill-in is the restriction it places on your property. The buried concrete remains in the ground permanently, meaning the area cannot support heavy structures like a home addition, garage, or permanent patio. Most municipalities also require you to record the partial fill-in on your property deed, which can deter future buyers who worry about uneven ground settling.

A full removal involves digging up and hauling away all concrete, liner, rebar, and underground plumbing. If the pool has thick concrete walls or pebble aggregate finishes, hydraulic breakers smash the entire shell down to bare earth. The crew loads every fragment into dump trucks for off-site recycling.

Full removal costs more in labor and disposal fees, but it leaves your yard as clean native soil. You can build whatever you want on that ground later, and your home deed carries no demolition disclosures that might scare away potential buyers.

Backfilling the Hole, Soil Packing, and Regrading the Lawn

The biggest failure in pool demolition is poor soil placement. An empty inground pool is a massive void. If that void is filled incorrectly, your yard will develop deep depressions, spongy mud pits, or dangerous sinkholes over the following years.

The fill material must be clean. Never allow a contractor to dump tree stumps, construction lumber, or organic yard debris into the hole. As organic matter decays underground, it rots away and leaves empty air pockets. When rain washes down through the soil, the ground above collapses into those pockets. The base layers should contain crushed gravel and non-expansive clean fill dirt to promote steady drainage.

Soil packing, known as compaction (pressing down dirt in tight layers with machinery so it does not sink), must happen gradually. The excavation crew should spread dirt in layers no deeper than six to twelve inches at a time. After spreading each layer, they run a heavy mechanical roller, excavator tracks, or a vibrating plate compactor across the entire surface. This process pushes out trapped air and presses the soil particles tightly together. If a contractor dumps several feet of dirt in all at once and only rolls over the very top, the deep soil will slowly settle several feet over the next few rainy seasons.

Finally, the crew must regrade the entire area. The final layer of topsoil should sit a few inches higher than the surrounding lawn to compensate for natural minor settling. The slope must direct rainwater away from your home foundation and toward natural property drainage swales.

Permits, Inspections, and Hiring an Excavation Contractor

Removing an inground pool requires structural excavation that alters your property grade. Skipping permits or hiring an uninsured crew can leave you with municipal fines or ruined underground utilities.

Follow this checklist before signing a demolition contract:

• Obtain local building and demolition permits. Your city building department will specify whether a partial fill-in is legally allowed in your zoning area. Many towns also inspect the drainage holes in the pool floor before any dirt can be dumped into the crater.
• Call 811 before digging begins. The free 811 utility locator marks buried public gas, electric, and water lines across your yard. An excavator bucket hitting a buried gas pipe or electrical line creates an immediate life-safety hazard.
• Verify contractor licenses and insurance coverage. Heavy excavators and loaded dump trucks can crack concrete driveways, break underground sprinkler pipes, or damage fences. Ensure your excavation contractor carries active general liability insurance and workers compensation.
• Request a certified soil compaction test. If you choose a full removal with plans to build over the site, write an engineering compaction standard into your contract. A certified density report proves to city inspectors and future home buyers that the ground is structurally sound.

FAQs

Can I bury an old fiberglass pool instead of hauling it away?

No, you should never bury an intact fiberglass pool shell. The smooth fiberglass creates a watertight barrier that traps groundwater underneath the dirt, turning your yard into a spongy, shifting swamp. The shell must be sliced into sections with heavy demolition saws and hauled away to a disposal facility.

How long does backfilled soil take to settle before I can plant grass?

If the soil is compacted in thin layers using heavy mechanical equipment, you can lay sod or plant grass immediately. If the contractor fails to compact the dirt layer by layer, the ground will continue to sink and form deep dips for two to three years. Waiting through one or two soaking rainstorms will show whether the surface stays level before you invest in expensive landscaping.

Where am I allowed to drain pool water before taking it down?

Discharge regulations depend on local municipal environmental laws. Most cities require you to turn off chemical treatments so chlorine drops to zero before pumping water out. Many jurisdictions require draining into your home sanitary sewer cleanout rather than the street storm drain, because storm gutters empty directly into natural waterways.

Will removing a pool hurt my home resale value?

Removing an old, cracked, or high-maintenance pool typically increases buyer appeal and resale value. Many home shoppers actively avoid properties with aging pools due to insurance costs, upkeep expenses, and child safety concerns. A clean, open lawn offers broad appeal, provided the demolition was done legally and backed by proper compaction permits.