40 year old pool needs new liner

[Mwoe's pool]

Hi there,
The liner ripped over the winter but the pool, backed simply with sand has no main drain. The water table is pretty high and we can lower it to a few inches with the pump, but as soon as it is shut off, the water rises. We are not attempting to replace the liner ourselves and had been trying to wait out the ground water. Doesn't seem that is going to happen. What can we do to remove the water so the pool company can replace the liner?

Thanks in advance!

[PoolDoc]

You need to let the liner company manage the water; if they don't know how to do that, it's not safe to let them install the liner!

You need a liner company that CAN manage the water.

[Mwoe's pool]

Thank you.

The company we are using can manage the water, we were hoping to save some money and remove the water ourselves.

Thanks again!

[PoolDoc]

Good!

That's not something you want to DIY in your situation. IF he does it, and there's a problem HE has to fix it. If you do it, you have to pay him 2x for the work, if there's the slightest problem. Not good.

[Mwoe's pool]

Excellent advice!

I appreciate your thoughts and guidance, you are very wise. Thanks so much.

[Watermom]

Excellent advice!

I appreciate your thoughts and guidance, you are very wise. Thanks so much.

He IS wise! You guys don't know but....... Ben's avatar really is what he looks like!! ;):p

[PoolDoc]

That owl is looking MEAN, not wise! ;)

[Mwoe's pool]

Mean and wise...a good combo!!!

Is there anything we can do DIY until we can get on his schedule? The sand is a wreck. It looks like beach erosion, so much has fallen and the water just sits. I can use the sump pump to get it lower, but it just comes back up when the pump is shut off, so it seems pointless.

And of course, we are looking at some serious cash to fix it.

[Mwoe's pool]

Our pool guy hasn't called back...so I called another company. We have lived in this house for 10 years and I spoke to the guy who owned the house when the pool was put in (early '70s we live in a small town), and he confirmed there is no drain under the liner or any other drain. He also confirmed it is all sand, there is no vermiculite.

I just want the pool fixed. And it CAN be fixed, correct?

[PoolDoc]

I just want the pool fixed. And it CAN be fixed, correct?

I know it's not what you want to hear, but the correct answer is, "Usually, but not always, unless you are ready to essentially rebuild the pool. The 'hole' can be fixed, but if you pull the liner, and the walls are shot -- repairs are tough.

There are some unconventional methods I can probably point you toward, but let's not borrow trouble!

When the liner comes out, take pictures like crazy. That was expensive 30 years ago, but a 16Gb chip for a camera not costs about $30 and holds over 3,000 hi-res pictures. If you have pictures, we (or possibly another forum with more pool guys as members) will be able to offer ideas.

[Mwoe's pool]

Ok. I just like to be prepared with what the deal is. Now, the guy who we originally called has previously worked on this pool. He knows the pool and replaced the liner 17 +/- years ago and when we first called him he asked us if we had water in the basement as he had recalled there was a water problem. This gives me comfort so it makes me want to wait for him to show up rather than engaging with someone else. The other guy did call back, but we wouldn't work well together.

We live in the central Massachusetts and have 4 kids...we need this pool. LOL

[PoolDoc]

Good luck! :)

[Mwoe's pool]

UPDATE: So I am slow on the uptake, the original guy we called, hasn't returned out calls, so we moved on. I called four other companies, one guy we called, well, let's just say we weren't compatible. One only works on pools they installed and the other never called back. But the 4th, well they called back, came out and provided a proposal, to include the water issue. While they did not originally install our pool, their company has installed 5,400 pools in our geographic area since 1959. He said that pools were built with sand from the '50s until the '80s and there are a lot of sand pools around (our area) and that ours is in pretty good shape. Not to worry, he would be sending a proposal later that day. Well, true to his word, he sent the proposal, it was $500 more than the original guy quoted, but at this point, we don't have much choice. I signed the proposal, wrote a check and RAN to the post office. This will be a short summer season swimming, but we are THRILLED that this company can fix it! I am kicking myself that I didn't call them first as perhaps it would have been fixed by now! Thank you so much for your help!

[PoolDoc]

Glad that we were able to help; I hope it all goes well for you!

Come back when you start putting water in the pool, so we can help with the chemistry (which is where our expertise really lies!). Don't wait till the pool's full, and the water already has a greenish tint! ;)

[Watermom]

Don't wait till the pool's full, and the water already has a greenish tint! ;)
Please! We have enough of those threads already! ;)

[PoolDoc]

. . . membership upgraded.