Patching a leak in a vinyl liner
We think we finally found the hole. It's in the wall but almost at the bottom of the wall. Does anybody have any experience with patching a hole? Do patches usually work?
Any tips?
Thanks again for all the help. It's great to have a place like this and people like you guys to turn to for help.
Just my luck, we finally got everything straight from the conversion process and now this. I think I said before it wasn't my year...it really isn't my year!
Re: Patching a leak in a vinyl liner
Patches do work. If you can place it with your hands, that makes it easy. Get an underwater patch kit. You can use a scrap piece of liner or the clear patch that usually comes with a kit. Goop one side of the patch and put it in place. Squish out any excess cement and hold it in place until it sticks. The cement that comes with the kits, at least the ones I've used, is usually pretty aggressive and will tend to curl the patch quickly so you have to place it quickly. Boxer #100 is a slow acting cement that won't curl the patch quickly, gives you more time to place it, but takes a longer time to bond. If you can't place it with your hands then there are still ways to do it. Let us know what happens.
Al
Re: Patching a leak in a vinyl liner
Try some of this:
Liner Patching 101
Liners are nice; they are usually pretty and are a good pool surface. However, sometimes they rip or develop holes. Fortunately patching a liner isn’t overly difficult.
The first thing you need to do is find the leaking area. Once you know where the liner is leaking you can determine how large a patch you’ll need to apply. You then need to procure some patching material (using a piece of your original liner is optimal, if that’s not an option, you can see if a pool store has a liner sample that matches your liner’s pattern or just use a clear patch) and some liner patching glue (Boxer 100 is arguably the best!) (Admin note: See links below.. Get a good sharp pair of scissors, a piece of cardboard, large enough to do your cutting and glue applying on, and a wall paper seam roller (last one I bought was less than $5).
The patch area needs to be clean and ready to accept the glue! For underwater patches, a wipe with a sponge should be good enough. For waterline, or above patches, a tablespoon of baking soda on a wet sponge should clean any oils or dirt that might interfere with the glue’s bonding. (Sandblasting a liner is NOT recommended- LOL)
If you have an underwater patch in the deep end of your pool, I strongly advise donning SCUBA gear – the new patch will need to be ‘worked’ for a few minutes after you apply it. If that’s not viable for you, take a look at Checking-for-a-leak
OK, we’re ready to patch the hole in the liner.
You already know how big the hole is.
+ Cut a rounded patch (square corners make the patch vulnerable to premature peeling off) that is ~ ¾” larger than the hole, all around.
+ Be ready to apply and work the patch,
+ When you are, have everything ready on the deck closest to the patch. Have a piece of cardboard on which to apply the glue to the patch (so you don’t get any on the deck.).
+ With the patching material cut to size and the person who will apply it ready to ‘do the deed’, apply a thick, even coat of the glue and fold the patch so that it’s glue to glue (you want the water to not get to the glue until you’re applying it).
+ When the person applying the path has it at the leak, he opens the glued side and puts it over the hole.
+ Then use the seam roller to:
=> work the patch, from the center out to the edges and,
=> work the patch around the edge for a couple minutes (working out any wrinkles/ pockets on the inside- out to the edge at the same time (that’s why you want SCUBA gear for deep tears)
(If your hole is on the bottom, you can put a weight (like a bag of sand on it) overnight to help prevent the curling of the edges that often happens, when the seam roller isn’t utilized long enough.)
For large (over 1”holes) and ones that have had the floor washed out, I recommend applying a second patch, over the first – once it has set. The second patch is applied in the same way as the first and is a full 1” larger (all around) than the original patch!
A patch can last for years, if you keep folks from “playing” with it and are careful when you’re vacuuming the area.
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There is now a YouTube showing how to leak test a pool:http://youtu.be/Y90c7pYMgPc
The Boxer glue and patch kits, recommended by most here, are now available on Amazon:
Boxer Adhesives No.110 4 oz Vinyl Pool Repair Kit
Boxer 4 oz Vinyl Swimming Pool Liner Repair Kit
Boxer Vinyl Pool Repair Kit Size: 2 Oz
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