5/14    Anybody have a backyard pool?  I don't use it often enough and it's
        a major expense.  I'm considering making it non-functional for 1
        year or more.  Draining the water and stopping the pumps, etc.  This
        procedure have to be reversible though.  When I sell my house a few
        years down the road I want to start it up again.  Is that even
        possible?
        Thanks.  -frustrated pool owner
        \_ sell your house. install linux. Seriously though, houses are a
           pain in the ass. Do you spend your vacation at Home Depot? HAHAHA
                        -former bitter house owner (BHO)
           \_ ride bike
        \_ The short answer is yes.  What kind of a pool is it?  If it is a
           concrete pool then this is easy.  If it is a rubber lined pool you
           have to be worried about the lining coming loose and it may be hard
           to put back in and get wrinkles.  (you can always pay someone to
        \_ I only have a hot tub but no pool.  Draining it wastes all the
           reinstall your liner if you have this issue, though it isn't that
           hard.) Also, with a rubber lined pool without water you probably
           want to keep it covered when it is dry. I don't know anything about
           above the ground pools, but i'm sure they're easy too. -crebbs
           \_ it's a concrete in-ground pool.  Do I need to take any special
              precautions on the skimmer or the various pumps?  Draining the
              pool and shutting the machines off is easy.  But I'm worried
              about starting the thing up again.  I definitely want the pool
              to be usable in 2 or more years.  Thanks.
              \_ obviously you don't skateboard, or you'd know what to do
                 with it.  you'd better take precautions to keep skaters
                 away after you drain it if it has a decent transition,
                 or people will sneak in to skate it.
                 \_ Now, some of you might think the above reply is joke,
                    but my boss had the same thing. Teenagers snuck into
                    his backyard and were using his drained-pool. My boss
                    had it filled with cement(they were just finishing up
                    when I visited, so he told me his story then). My co-
                    worker says actually it's a cover for his burying a
                    a dead body in it and normally you'd think that was a joke
                    but not if you knew my boss, you might not think so.
                    \_ i wasn't joking. if i knew where this guy's house
                       was, i'd skate it myself.
        \_ I only have a jacuzzi but no pool.  Draining it wastes all the
           water (unless you can re-use the water to irrigate your lawn or a
           nearby park, for example.)  Re-filling with tap water also costs
           you $2.18 per 1000 galloon in Alameda county.  Just two more things
           to consider.
           \_ yum. super-chlorinated water on your lawn?