AG walls

[Barry J]

We have a 35x18 AG pool (Johnny Weismuiller) with steel walls. Last year we had a new liner put in and the guy installing the liner said it was a great pool, and that the walls were the strong and wouldn't have a problem. While the pool was filling after the install, I noticed the corner walls were a little more flexible than i noticed before. I asked him about it, and he mentioned the water would correct that. Well it did, to a degree. When we get a bunch of kids in the pool making waves, we notice the corner walls flexing a little. I was wondering if there was some thing I can do about that problem.
I have "slots" in the wall that will fit a "PT" 2x4, I'm thinking about adding a 2x4 in all the corners. I noticed that the pool has metal supports alredy, but that is only on the straight side sections.
Any suggestions
Thanks
Barry

[Watermom]

I'm going to ask Waste (aka Ted) to look at your thread to see if he has any advice for you. (He's one of our PF Support Team members but he is also a pool installer.) Sit tight.

[waste]

Hey, Barry.

What kind of 'flexing' are we talking about (does the top bow in or is it spreading out)?

My first take on this is that the liner might be a little too snug (possible reasons, liner cut too small, liner put in on a 'cold' & cloudy day, Bottom not at proper level - too deep, or the cove being absent or too small or any combination of these)

Please get back with me on this and we'll try to figure out the best fix, if there is one.

[Watermom]

If you want to send a picture so Waste can see what it looks like, you can either use Photobucket, Picasa, Flickr or the like or email them to poolforum@gmail.com and reference the URL of this thread.

[Barry J]

What kind of pic would help,?? just of the pool wall itself???
You can see the top of the wall, kind of move outward, then move back in with the waves. Like I said , with 2-3 kids in it, it dosn't move, yet with 4-5 making a lot of waves, it moves a little.
I can be on the outside of the pool and at the corners push the wall inward a little.
Hope that helps

[Barry J]

I will send the photos by email to pool forum@gmail.com

[Barry J]

I sent some pics to the stated e-mail, but got no response. I went ahead and added supports to the corners of the pool, using "PT" 2x4s at 45 degree angles. Will I have any problems with what I did, in the future??

[Watermom]

So much email comes in that it may have just gotten overlooked by accident. I'll check with Ben about it. Sorry.

[PoolDoc]

Pics:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gRS9djCqdY4/UCRR7L5ubkI/AAAAAAAAD48/1FytnOUw1UM/s800/web%2520pool%2520corner.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hQaDiIbmfk4/UCRR7FV77nI/AAAAAAAAD44/McVTovJjCAA/s800/web%2520pool%2520outside.jpg

[Barry J]

Well like I said, I am in the midst of replacing all the wooden landscaping around the pool, and added some 2x4 supports on the other side to stop the flexing. Working my way around to the side that is pictured above. This weekend I'll shoot some pics of the supports on the other side.
Barry

[waste]

Thanks for the update and pics!

As far as I can tell from the pics, the top is pulling in and, therefore, external support won't do any good :(

It's your pool and you can do whatever you want with it but, my considered opinion is that adding more bracing will simply be a 'waste' of time and energy (take a look at my previous post for the real cause of this).

I don't see this as a serious probem, but check the things I mentioned when you next install a new liner.

[Barry J]

I just sent the pics from the two corners I braced in.
If I could have sent the "video" of the walls flexing, you would see that the tops move a little outward. Since, I did these two sides, it does not flex when my daughters make alot of waves.
Not that much of a waste of time, since I'm doing the rocks and wood around the pool over anyway, just adding a couple of 2x4s. Then I might take those wooden supports and add a triangle shapes piece around the supports and paint it white and mount a light onto it.
Just wanted to know if the braces would cause any ill effects to pool.
thanks for your suggestions and comments, much appreciated.
Barry

[PoolDoc]

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Lf5mlrY-Y9A/UCjTE-_SPVI/AAAAAAAAD6o/vTg1-Omzsws/s640/web%2520pool%2520support%25201.jpg - https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-RCnRxrwxlTE/UCjTE6ouVKI/AAAAAAAAD6s/u1qRAlTv7c4/s640/web%2520pool%2520support%25202.jpg

[PoolDoc]

Two comments:

1. You can post a video on YouTube, and link to it from here.
2. Toenailing a 2x4 to another 2x4 is not likely to provide much long-term support, where the loads are dynamic (flexing) and in a direction that will tend to work the toe-nails out of the wood.

[kckpool]

Are you sure the pool is steel? I have a round 27' Esther Williams (sister company to JW) and my pool walls look like yours(slat construction) and it is made of aluminium. Have you tried a magnet on them to verify they are steel? The only reason I ask is if you have pressure treated directly in contact with aluminium it will severely corrode the aluminium very quickly. You need to place some copper flashing between the wood and the aluminium to prevent galvanic corrosion.

[Barry J]

Yes, you are right my pool is aluminium. and not steel...my bad Another way I can get around the "PT" vs aluminium corrosion, is replace the "PT" with kiln dried wood painted. I planned on painting the wood white anyway to make it look better. But, on the "PT" vs aluminium ....The "PT" wood running parallel to the ground on the bottom that you see in the picture have been there against the pool walls since I've owned the house (14years). And there is no signs of corrosion. As for the support of the 2x4s...screwed in outdoor deck screws at an angle at the botton and plus added a metal brace (see bottom of support)...seems pretty sturdy. The flexing isn't enough to rip those screws out.

[kckpool]

FYI. Older PT, labeled CCA, was arsenic based and wasn't corrosive to al. New stuff in the last decade, labeled ACQ, is very corrosive. Why the switch? Blame the bs from environmentalists and lawyers.

[Barry J]

Ok, I'll go with painted kiln dried 2x4s and keep an eye on it