What you're actually taking apart
An above-ground pool is a stack of parts: a vinyl liner, top rails and ledges, vertical uprights, a long wall of steel, aluminum or resin, and a bottom track, usually sitting on a bed of sand. Add the pump, filter, hoses, ladder and covers, and there's more to haul than the pool suggests from the patio.
None of it is complicated. It's heavy, sharp and bulky, and getting rid of the pieces is where most people get stuck.
Draining: your town sets the rules
NJDEP says discharges from residential swimming pools are regulated through the stormwater permit issued to each town, not through the state's swimming pool discharge permit. In practice, your town decides where pool water can go. Call public works or the town engineer before you pump toward the street or a storm drain.
Pump the pool down as far as it will go. Whatever is left comes out when the liner is cut, so expect a soggy patch of lawn where the pool stood.
Pool chemicals need their own trip
Shock, chlorine tablets, algaecide and muriatic acid can't go in the trash, at the curb or on our truck. The Plumsted MUA's bulk guidelines for its Waste Management contract, for one, list pool chemicals among the hazardous chemicals they won't collect.
Each county runs a household hazardous waste program for residents. Ocean County names pool chemicals on its collection-day list and asks residents to register ahead and bring proof of residency. Monmouth County's facility at 3211 Shafto Road in Tinton Falls lists muriatic acid and takes residents without an appointment. Burlington County's facility at the Resource Recovery Complex lists pool chemicals among the household hazardous waste it takes from residents, and so do Middlesex County's drop-off events. Mercer holds resident drop-off events through the year. Check the current schedule and accepted list before you load the car.
Ask about a permit before removal day
New Jersey's Uniform Construction Code generally requires a permit from the construction official before a structure is demolished. Whether that applies to your pool is your construction office's call. Describe the pool, ask whether taking it down needs a permit, and if it does, have it in hand before removal day.
If the pump is hardwired rather than plugged into an outlet, have a licensed electrician disconnect it. We don't do electrical work.
Taking it down yourself
With the water out and the power off, the take-down usually goes in this order. Wear cut-resistant gloves and eye protection, because wall edges and screws are sharp.
- Disconnect the pump, filter, hoses and skimmer, and pull the ladder or steps.
- Cut the liner into strips you can roll and tie.
- Unscrew the top rails and ledges, then the uprights.
- Take the wall down and cut it into sections that fit in a truck bed.
- Pull up the bottom track and any coping.
Where the liner and metal go
The curb is a long shot for a whole pool. Jackson's curbside bulky pickup accepts pool covers and metal, but it keeps construction debris off the curb and limits each pile to 4 by 4 by 8 feet. The Plumsted MUA's bulk guidelines turn away large pieces of metal. A rolled liner and a stack of wall sections can outgrow those limits fast, so call public works before you set anything out.
On our jobs, steel and aluminum walls, rails and uprights go to a local scrap yard to be recycled. The liner, resin parts and padding go to the licensed facility for the job's county: the Monmouth County Reclamation Center in Tinton Falls (Monmouth waste only), the Ocean County Landfill in Manchester, the Burlington County Resource Recovery Complex, or Duck Island in Hamilton for Mercer and Middlesex.
Once the pool is gone, expect a ring of sand or bare ground. The sand base, and any blocks or pavers under the uprights, are their own decision. If you want them hauled too, show them in your photos and ask.
When it's easier to have us haul it
Once the pool is drained and any hardwired pump is disconnected, the rest can be ours. Text photos of the pool, the equipment and the way into the yard to (855) 655-7552 for one upfront price that covers the take-down, carrying, hauling, disposal and cleanup.
Dominic works jobs himself alongside his crew, and same-day and next-day openings are often available across Toms River, Brick, Jackson and the rest of Central NJ. A deck around the pool or an old hot tub can go in the same visit: see deck removal and our hot tub removal guide. For details, see above-ground pool removal, or book a free estimate.
