Idea for drain for ducks' pool -- whatcha think?

[Sunny Side Up]

Has anyone tried this? Or have a better idea?

Right now I'm using a small but sturdy plastic kids' pool for my 5 ducklings, but I can see that they'll be needing a larger one as they continue to grow. Each night I tip this pool over to empty/clean it. Because of its composition it doesn't rip or crack under this heavy use. But I know those larger plastic kiddy pools are made of thinner plastic that will eventually crack under this type of use. Not to mention the strain on my back & arms to lift the edge of this larger pool.

So I'm thinking of cutting a drain hole, about 1-2" in diameter, in the side near the bottom, and covering it with one of those flat round rubber drain covers, the type you lay flat over the drain of your shower. If the water won't hold it in place I would glue one edge to the side of the pool with some sort of waterproof glue. Then I could just remove/hold open the flap and let the water drain out. Once the pool is empty it will be so much lighter and easier on me and the plastic to lift & hose out. I'm hoping this will help my big kiddy pool last much longer before it wears out. But I don't want to ruin it right from the start by cutting a drain hole in it that won't work.

Let me know what you think of this idea, and especially if you have a better idea.

 

[olp_63]

sounds good to me! i know what you mean about constant cleaning...we have only two ducks (a pekin and a runner) but they dirty their kiddy pool in a matter of hours!!!

 

[BantyHugger]

I'm not sure standing and holding it would be kind on your back. We have an old hose we use to get the water into the garden. You just stick 1 end in the water and then get a suction started with the vacuum. To hold the hose we just use a rock. In the morning you can refill.

 

[michigan chick]

Go to the hardware store, check out the plumbing section. There should be a couple of different fitting that you can use. That you use as a valve. You cut a hole threw the pool put one piece threw the hole then another piece twist on from the other side. You might need a rubber washer to stop dripping and keep water tight. Then add the valve piece. At the end of the valve you can put on a plastic hose the kind you use to backwash a pool with so you don't have a puddle in the middle of your yard. It can drain where you need it. The valve opens then closes as you turn it. Hope this helps.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Thank you all, I'm liking these ideas much better than mine. Please add more & different plans if you have them!

I've used these type of wading pools with my children and just lifted & dumped the water when they were through. It wasn't too bad of a job since it wasn't done daily, but it did contribute to the eventual cracking/tearing of the plastic pool.

I figure I'll have to still periodically replace the kiddy pool for the ducks, but am hoping to get the longest use possible for it. I would love to have a big sturdy stock watering tub instead, hoping to find one being discarded or sold cheap.

I like the idea of using a hose to empty the pool so I can direct the water to the garden beds. I'm sure my plants will be begging for a drink of that nice poo-y water!

Any other brilliant suggestions? Thank you!

 

[mlheran]

My ducks have had a kiddie pool (a nice one made out of sturdy yet flexible recyclable plastic), but I hate how quickly it gets green with algae since it's so shallow. I should add that the pool doesn't get too dirty from the ducks as it's placed on a large area of outdoor "grass" carpet (no mud at pool's edge = less dirt IN the pool).

Anyway, I too hated having to tip it out to clean it so I looked into other options. I ended up getting a Rubbermaid trough (NOT a storage bin, an Ag trough) for a reasonable price from a local guy clearing out his daughter's FFA stuff. It's this one. I plan to get a valve/adapter for the drain to accept a garden hose, then I can just turn the valve and water my garden with duck tea!

And it is much heavier than a kiddie pool (obviously), but these Rubbermaid troughs REALLY take a beating and never look the worse for wear. My ducks don't seem to mind the narrower surface area, especially since they love the deeper water -even moreso when I toss a few feeder fish in for them!

And I should add that it looks better in the yard, IMHO.

 

[MrsCountryChick]

We have a black large Real heavy, about 2+ foot deep & Thick rubber stock tank we got yrs ago from TSC. Made to last Forever, but real cumbersome to dump water from. If you needed a smaller 'pool-pond' you could look for a used Step 2 kids pool, they're stronger than the thin plastic pools for kids & are made with a drain plug.... & it'd be a "lucky ducky" who'd get the model with the slide.

But Since you'll be wanting a smaller one those sizes prob won't be what you'd be looking for in a future size.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Michigan Chick, THANK YOU!! I took your advice & got the fitting you described. It's called a Bulkhead Fitting, it's often used on boats to drain out the water. I had to go to a plumbing supply place to get it.

I cut a hole in the plastic kiddy pool, screwed the fitting together, added a plastic ball valve, and another piece on that to accept a garden hose.

I just filled up the pool tonight and it doesn't look like it's leaking. The pool is in the new duck pen I constructed, and the 5 ducks are in the new house I built for them. In the morning I'll let them out to enjoy their new yard & their new pool. Tomorrow night, I'll open the valve to drain their pool, setting the end of the hose in some fortunate garden bed.

I hope it all works like I planned!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I've been using this for a few days now and everything is just "ducky" except for the speed & ease of the water draining through the hose. The ducks love having a bigger pool, and it's fun to watch them do their submarine dives and zoom around in circles underwater.

The drain fitting works well, and if I open the valve the water will empty out at a good rate. But if I attatch the hose to direct the water away it just dribbles out.

I think the trouble is that the pen and the pool are in the lower end of the yard, and the garden beds are a bit higher. I have a 100' hose on the pool and each night I try running it to a different part of the yard, looking for the best place to have it drain. I'm also adding gravel under the pool each morning when it's empty, to level the ground there and raise the pool up even a few inches.

I really want to make this work, to re-use this nice poopy water to help my plants grow. We've been under drought conditions here in South Florida and so it's even more of a shame to waste water. I'd rather not have it drain out right next to the pen, or into the grass a few yards away. I want it to water & enrich the perennial beds & butterfly gardens.

Do I just have to find a place for the END of the hose to be lower than the pool drain for this to work? Or does the entire length of the hose have to be lower? Please help me figure it out. Thank you.

 

[mlheran]

Quote:
I think there is a way to get water from a lower place to a higher place, as long as the hose has no air in it (I forget the name of this scientific principle, but it's the one where you take a short length of hose, seal one end with your thumb, fill the other end to overflowing then cap it with your other thumb, then put one end in the water to be drained -thumb still on- and the other end where you want the water to go, then release both thumbs). You can't get all the water out with that method though, because as soon as there is enough room in the hose for air the vacuum is broken and you're back with gravity again.

I think your best bet would be to either raise or re-site the pond. I'm in much the same position, my pond is higher than my garden area but I have raised beds.

I use the hose-drain for some of the nearby fruit trees and then fill up some small buckets for dumping on the garden beds. Not quite as easy as turning a faucet, but the duck tea is worth it!