Re-doing a liner patch

Yesterday I tried to patch a liner tear (about 9"x1") at the bottom of the deep end of our 16x32 inground diving pool. I bought flippers, belt weights (to keep me down), and a mask. I used a tube of Boxer Adhesives and a piece of the original liner that I got from my local pool shop. (Incidentally, the pool guys practically laughed when I told them the size of the rip. They said that a patch might be OK for this season, but that new liner was a must in the Fall. The current liner is just two years old. Sigh.)

I'm still losing water at a rate of about 3-4 inches every 12 hours (Arg!), a rate that the pool store guys say is more than enough to cause softening/deterioration/foundering in the underlying structure, which would cost thousands to fix. Some questions:

1) Does the size of the rip match with my water loss? Is a rip of this size really too big to patch?

2) Is there any way to add more adhesive to the patch? The pool guy said I should put some adhesive on my fingers, dive down, and continue to work it into the edges of the patch. Unfortunately, the adhesive he gave me is like syrup, not putty; it basically runs off my fingers. Also the stuff is clear, so seeing it at the bottom of the pool ain't easy. Is there another, more malleable adhesive that I could use?

3) Can I remove the patch and try to re-apply, or do I risk making a larger rip? The patch I used is already 12"x4". I'm assuming that covering it with an even larger patch is a non-starter.

4) Has anyone here ever rented scuba gear and done a proper job of patching? I feel like I could do a bang-up job if I could just stay down there and do it right. The problem is that I've never as much as snorkeled, so perhaps the scuba learning curve is too steep?

4) Is the safest thing to bite the bullet and put in a new liner? What is the risk to the underlying structure with this level of water loss? How long can I keep refilling the pool and putting off a new liner?

Sorry for all the questions. Answer as many as you like.

BTW, we bought the house in November. The previous owner, despite having installed the new liner, hadn't opened the pool for two seasons. Neighbors say that there were ducks in there last year. We believe that the rip was caused by one of several large landscaping stones (the red, scalloped-top ones) that were used in lieu of water bags on the winter cover.

"A pool is a hole in the ground that you need like a hole in the head."

You can use an air mask and portable air compressor like the ones pool companies use and leak detection companies have. You can patch a hole that large. If you have a void area under the liner from the water leaking out you can fill this void with sand before you patch (make sure there is not any sand on the liner bottom when you patch). When you put the glue on the patch fold in half then go to the bottom unfold the patch and apply. Almost forgot, be sure you use a weight belt so you can stay on the bottom. Hope this helps

Do NOT try to remove the patch--it will tear the liner. You CAN work glue under edges that are loose, but don't yank. Instead, though, you need to put a much larger patch to put over it. If you have a piece of liner you can use that and it won't show as much. You want rounded edges, and you want to put the glue on the patch while it's dry.

If you have sand underneath, the leak can be devastating to the sand. A GOOD installer (sigh...:( ) will repair that sand so the the new liner is, well, like new...

Thanks for the tips, guys.

I'm going to dive down today and applya patch on the patch. The water loss has slowed, but it's still WAY too much to live with. I'm going to use the same stuff: Boxer Adhesives and a piece of the original liner. I'll vacuum and scrub the area (as much as possible) before application, then try to stay underwater longer so that I can get a good seal. Here goes nothing...

K

There was a tip here somewhere about using a wallpaper roller or similar to get a real good seal on the patch.

A search should turn it up.

Yes, I read the post (and saw the attached photos) of the wallpaper roller that someone used to roll on a liner patch. I've chosen to opt instead for dive after dive after dive, during each of which I'll be pressing out the patch like a thin-crust pizza dough. I'm also going to lay a heavy sandbag on the patch when I'm done. Then come the prayers.

K

K, the advice so far is ~ what I'd have said (I thought the wallpaper roller was my idea -apparently I'm not the only one to have both wallpapered and applied liner patches ;) ) Be sure to 'round' the edges - as per Carl's sug. Cut the new patch ~ 1" bigger than the previous one, all around, use the roller to seal the 2nd patch from the inside part out to the edges, you want to see the glue 'sqeegeeing' out from the outside edge.
Is there any chance that this 'rip' is at a seam? If so, you may have seam seperation and the manufacturer should replace it at ~no cost to you (the warantee is 'pro-rated' so you may have to pay 5 - 10 % of the cost). Using SCUBA gear and applying the patch 'continuiously' will net you better results. I've seen pools that I've patched still holding just fine after 5 years - so, if done properly, you don't need a new liner :)
Hopefully, this is of some help/ reassurance to you - Waste