Is it possible to empty a birth pool quickly? - Combipool

We’re often asked whether it’s possible to empty a birth pool quickly.  There are many benefits of being able to do this, including faster turn-around times for cleaning, increased productivity, less waiting time, etc. Birth pools typically hold around 400 litres of water, so emptying them takes a fair amount of time.

Most birth pools have a 50mm drain from the pool.  This usually matches the standard drainage pipework of the hospital.  If there are no restrictions/blockages and the water flow goes straight down under the drain, emptying the pool can still be fairly quick; however, if there are blockages and/or complex pipework routes then the emptying time increases.

To reduce the time it takes to empty a birth pool, you could consider a birth pool with a larger drain.  Croyde’s Combipool birth pool has the option to upgrade to a 100mm drain.

The video below shows how 513 litres of water is emptied using the larger 100mm drain with the waste directly underneath.  It drains in 1min 22 seconds.

The standard fill level of 450 litres empties in less than 1 minute (58 seconds to be exact). 

The drain supplied with the pool is displayed in the image below with the water flow explained by the arrows:

To access the technical data sheet for the Combipool, click HERE.

A larger drain is certainly a good way to empty the pool quickly, but it’s important that the hospital’s drainage network matches the pool’s.  A larger 100mm pool drain will only drain quickly if it’s connected to 100mm pipework.  

In summary, to optimise the draining time of your birth pool, you should remember these key points:

• Make sure there are no pipework blockages/restrictions
• Minimize pipework arrangement complexity.  Minimize length of pipe to drain and avoid bends
• Try to maximize the benefit of gravity by the waste exiting straight down   
• Consider a larger drain and pipework @ 100mm