what gauge of liner and how to stop ants

[leena]

So ive been complaining about a leak for the last 3 years or more. I finally discovered it was tiny holes in the bottom egde of pool. Where the bottom and walls meet. Im assuming it is ants as there are dozens of pin holes. I sprayed around the pool all last summer and spent alot of hours putting patches on them underwater. It slowed my water leak and I used the pool. Then by summers end, the holes were back and it was leaking again so i just stopped filling it up and left it all winter. Here it is warm weather slowly coming and I need to deal with it.

1.I need to order a new liner. What gauge should I get? Its an above ground 24' pool, 52" tall.

2.How do I treat to keep the ants from doing this to the new liner? Well I havent pulled the old liner yet to determine, I m just assuming ants..........

3.After I pull up the old liner and get the problem fixed, can I reinstall the old liner before putting in the new one to help provide "cushion" or a layer of protection between the liner and pool/ground.

BTW, the new pump/filter was awesome last year!

[FormerBromineUser]

I don't have an above ground pool, but I would recommend the heavier gauge liner.

From what I have read, when the ground is exposed, use a "queen killing" insecticide. Then a plastic tarp layer or two, followed by regular insulation foam board secured with gorilla tape, and a top layer of "gorilla pad" seems to have worked well for others with any issues.

Good luck! I loathe ants!

[leena]

thanks, what is a gorilla pad?

[FormerBromineUser]

Google gorilla pad.
Here is one link for you:
http://www.inyopools.com/Products/00100023003182.htm

[swimdaddy]

How old is your pool liner? Sounds like a faulty liner and not ants, although I am not an ant expert (is there such a thing?). Where the liner meets the wall, is there a sharp curve with a flat bottom? If there is and your liner is old, it might be desiccating at the point of the sharpest curve, like the outside of an old tire. If the liner is new, I think the warranty should cover a replacement.

My father-in-law has an above ground pool and had problems with cheat grass puncturing his liner, so he put down the exact system FBU mentioned, and it works great. His liner has lasted longer than any previous one.

[FormerBromineUser]

Good catch, SD! Along the edges does seem suspect.

[Phillbo]

Too bad you have a sand filter because DE is great for killing ants.

[leena]

ok, so today we finally pulled the old liner up and sure enough the foam cove was riddled with insect tunnels! it was termites!
Ive been researching online and it says this is more inclined to happen during a drought, though it can happen anytime in bad termite areas. Im in the south so I think Im in a bad area and last year we had a severe drought, even losing several mature trees. Also when we purchased this pool from a friend, my husband noticed some tunneling in the foam cove when we moved it from our friends house to ours. We didnt really inspect it closely or know what it meant as we were new to owning a pool. So there is also a chance there were already some termites in the cove and we just brought them to our house. Another possibility is that the dirt we used to level the pool area was from near my dads barn, which is very old and has termites.
Anyways I will not be using the foam pool cove again. I think they are more inclined to get in it though Im sure they will go anywhere.
From what I've read, TERMIDOR, seems to be the best stuff to apply to the area. Any thoughts?
Also some say that I should now put a serious barrier down to help protect the liner from the termites but other sites say waterproof barriers are usually not a good idea because they allow moisture to form under the liner (bc it sweats) and some barriers provide more ease of tunneling like the foam cove did...........Any thoughts on that as well?

[leena]

Also do you think I should have my house inspected now as well? The pool is close to the house and its been 10+ years since we had it inspected for termites. We did extensive remodeling over the last 7 yrs and no evidence anywhere during that time and we had everything exposed from foundation to roof at times. But we have been finished for the last 2 yrs and I know alot can change in that amount of time.

[leena]

ive also heard that putting down DE powder and or Comet(im assuming the cleaner) under the liner might help as most bugs seem to hate it..........................anyone have any knowledge on that? I would also treat with a termite chemical as well....

[FormerBromineUser]

I have been hoping someone who knows about termites would chime in for you. I have also heard that DE helps but I'm not sure that is a long term solution. I wonder if some pest control companies would come out and give you estimates and advise.