Hoses have been around for almost twenty-five hundred years. The original version was a lot more disgusting and made from ox intestines still attached to its bladder.
Like modern hoses, Greeks used this ancient version to pump water and put out fires. Most people don’t have an ox on hand, and many don’t keep hoses around even now. So, how do you fill a kiddie pool without a hose?
The simplest way to fill a kiddie pool without a hose is by carrying buckets of water to your pool. This method is heavy and labor-intensive, but it will fill a small pool quickly, even if you have to take small buckets. If you don’t have a bucket, you can use soda bottles or a milk jug as well.
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How To Fill A Kiddie Pool Without A Hose
Hose or not, when the kids want to swim, you want to find ways to fill a kiddie pool as a parent. Especially as the cooler season approaches, it is essential to steal the last few days of pool paddling before it’s officially sweater weather.
Luckily, I have a few life hacks for this problem, and I’m happy to show you how to fill that little pool without a hose.
1- Use A Bucket
The most obvious and straightforward solution for filling a kiddie pool is to use a bucket. Most homes have a mop bucket around for cleaning floors.
If yours is dirty, make sure you scrub it out with some mild detergent and rinse well before you fill a pool. Gross, grey pool water is no fun, and cleaning chemicals are bad for children’s delicate skin.
Even when you don’t have a standard mop bucket, you may have a similar container. Foot baths are just buckets without a convenient handle.
Likewise, if you have a cat and buy large amounts of litter at a time, you probably have one of those enormous yellow buckets around. Fortunately, it’s easy to rinse the clean dust out of the bottom, and it makes an excellent water carrier.
If you’re lucky enough to have several buckets and a wheelbarrow, you can make the process even faster. Bring your buckets to the nearest tap, preferably outdoors, and fill them all at once, placing each in the wheelbarrow.
After that, you can easily transport the whole load with a lot less strain on your back. Plus, you’ll fill the pool faster.
In a pinch, you could try to use a clean wheelbarrow. However, they’re prone to bumping, tipping, and sloshing, so it’s probably not a good idea unless you have no other possible option.
Moreover, pushing a wheelbarrow full of water is not easy to steer.
2- Use Your Outdoor Spigot
Most homes, though not all, have an outdoor spigot meant for a hose. Even if you don’t have a hose, the fixture should still pour water when you turn the valve handle on top. Hence, you have a ready water source. Why not use it?
When the area below your spigot is open, you can put a kiddie pool where the water comes out. Be careful not to set the side of the pool directly against brick or another textured siding as they may damage each other.
Fortunately, the water pressure should give the water a spare inch or two of movement as it sprays out.
The trick to this method is keeping the kids from bonking their heads on the spout when it’s not in use. Like a bathtub spout, you can use a store-bought cover.
However, a foam pool noodle or even a basic plastic cup will easily fit over the metal piece.
3- Soda Bottle, Electrical Tape, and Rubber Tubing
Almost everyone has a plastic soda bottle in their home, and you can use yours to create a temporary hose if you have a few other items on hand.
You’ll need scissors, electrical tape, and a bit of large-diameter rubber tubing. You’re going to create a more prominent head around the fixture and connect that head to your makeshift hose.
First, fit your tubing to the mouth of the bottle. This needs to be about one-inch tubing because creating a bottleneck with the water can easily cause backflow, and you’ll end up with a wet mess. Tape the tube securely in place.
Next, you’ll need to make a hole in the bottom of the soda bottle and fit it over your sink. You can tape this in place or let it hang down, depending on your sink style. Put your other end of the tube in the pool.
Please don’t turn the water on full blast, but let it fill a bit more slowly. As a nice bonus, you can also regulate the water temperature by adding some warm water if it’s late in the season.
4- Milk Jugs or Other Larger Plastic Bottles
If you have a tea jar, empty (but clean) milk or juice jug, or another large plastic bottle with a handle, you can still fill your kiddie pool.
Unfortunately, this method is going to take a while. Walking back and forth to fill a pool manually isn’t fun, but it works.
Plus, most people can manage one in each hand, and you can even let the kids carry smaller containers to help. Make it fun, and they won’t mind so much when it takes an hour.
5- Use A Kettle or Watering Can
If you don’t have plastic bottles or any other household supplies around that work well for the above methods, use a container made for water.
A household kettle or watering can will get the job done. Although plastic bags can sometimes hold water, I strongly recommend using something more solid that’s designed to pour out easily.
Using this option gives you a spigot. Directing water flow easily is an advantage when you’re trying not to make a wet mess.
After all, no one wants to walk through mud to get to the pool if they can avoid it, and it is a lot easier to pour from a spout than the side of a round bucket.
Helpful Tips To Know How To Fill A Kiddie Pool Without A Hose
Filling a kiddie pool without a hose is mostly a matter of deciding what container best suits your needs. After all, a hose is only a rapid water transportation device.
Here are a few more helpful tips to know how to fill a kiddie pool without a hose.
- Please do not try and fill a small pool with water indoors and then move it. Not only can this break the pool, but you’ll end up covered in water. This can damage flooring, cause slip and fall accidents, and no one can swim in a broken pool. A kid’s pool needs to sit flat on the ground to bear the weight of the liquid inside.
- According to Study.com, “One US liquid gallon of fresh water weighs roughly 8.34 pounds (lb) or 3.785 kilograms (kg) at room temperature.” That means a kiddie pool with only 15 gallons inside (which is only a few inches, nowhere near a full pool) weighs 417 pounds. You’d need help or a strong back to carry that much, even if the pool could handle it—moreover, the weight shifts and moves can easily cause injury.
- There are about 7 ½ gallons of water in a cubic foot. A kiddie pool can easily hold one to two hundred gallons of water when filled.
- If you have a hose but no outside spigot, you can fill your bathtub with water and run the hose from the tub to the pool. It may take a while, but by sucking the air out of the hose, you will draw the water and begin to flow. Just be careful not to gasp when the water hits your end of the hose unexpectedly.
Final Thoughts
The nice thing about kiddie pools is that they’re small. That means they are also quick to fill up, even when you have to do it without a hose.
Some homes have no external spigots. Luckily, kids’ pools can use as little as 50 gallons of water, which will be easier on you and the environment.
I recommend the bucket method, but now you have several options if that doesn’t work for you. Some people can’t carry heavy loads for health reasons, so placing the pool under an outdoor spigot or rig up a faux hose with some tubing.