How To Inflate A Swimming Pool With A Vacuum Cleaner

An inflatable swimming pool provides cool comfort on hot summer days without the requirement of ongoing maintenance issues that a permanent pool has. Inflating an inflatable swimming pool requires a device that has a compressor that can blow air into the pool sides. You can use a standard vacuum cleaner as the compressor device. A few household tools and supplies, but no special equipment, will be needed. The vacuum cleaner will not be physically modified or damaged in any way.

1. Prepare to Inflate the Pool

Place the inflatable swimming pool on the ground in your backyard where there will be plenty of room for it once it has been inflated. Bring your vacuum cleaner outside. Remove the front cover — a button or tab may need to be pressed first — and place it aside. Twist the vacuum bag off the nozzle on the inside of the vacuum cleaner. Dispose of the bag in the trash. Place the cover back on.

2. Connect Vacuum Cleaner to an Outlet

Remove the flexible hose from the back of the vacuum cleaner — a button or tab may need to be pressed first. Insert the vacuum cleaner's power plug into an outdoor-rated extension cord. Plug the outdoor-rated extension cord into an AC outlet on an outside wall of the house or an outlet inside the house if there is no outside outlet.

3. Test the Vacuum Cleaner

Aim the end of the hose away from you. Turn the vacuum cleaner on to verify that air is being blown through the hose. Turn the vacuum cleaner off.

4. Place Hose Into a Plastic Bottle

Place the end of the hose against the bottom of a plastic water bottle. Draw an outline around the hose on the bottom with a pencil. Cut out the outline with the blade of a utility knife. Dispose of the cut plastic in the trash. Insert the end of the hose in the hole in the bottom of the bottle. Tape the hose with strips of duct tape so it won't fall out of the hole.

5. Begin Inflating the Pool

Remove the cap from the end of the nipple on the side of the inflatable pool . Place the open mouth of the bottle against the nipple. Turn the vacuum cleaner on. Press on the sides of the nipple with one hand while holding the mouth of the bottle against the nipple with the other. Remove the bottle from the nipple when the pool is completely inflated. Turn the vacuum cleaner off. Place the cap back on the nipple.

6. Unplug Vacuum Cleaner and Clean Up

Disconnect the vacuum cleaner from the extension cord. Place a new vacuum bag in the vacuum cleaner and place the front cover back on. Remove the bottle from the hose. Return the hose to its normal position on the vacuum cleaner.