Patching a leak in a vinyl liner

[Poconos]

I found the pics and furthermore, I now know how to post them. Here's how I did a deep end patch.



This is a 3" paint roller that has been coated with silicone seal so any vinyl cement goo won't stick to it. It's taped to the end of a 10 foot PVC pipe.



This is a vinyl patch taped to a piece of clear plastic dropcloth. Kind of hard to describe but the plastic has been likewise coated with silicone seal to prevent the cement from attacking it. I didn't coat it under the patch so I could use double sided masking tape to stick the vinyl patch to the plastic sheet. The plastic sheet is there so I can roll the patch once it is in place. The black tape at the corners is just to make it more visible under water so you can position it more accurately. The string tied to one corner is so I can pull the plastic sheet off when done. The double sided tape, or plain masking tape folded on itself, may stick to the vinyl patch but after a little time it will come off.



This pic shows the patch assembly folded onto the roller. Goop the patch liberally with Boxer 100 vinyl cement. This is a slow acting cement that won't curl the patch and will give you time to work it into place. There are paperclips used to hold it in place on the roller. Another string is tied to the clips. Once placed over the hole, push gently for a few minutes to stick the patch to the liner so it won't slide around, then pull the string to pop the clips and release the plastic sheet and patch from the roller. Then use the roller to work the patch onto the liner. If you can, throw a small sandbag or something on the thing for a couple days until the cement sets fully. Then pull the string to pull the plastic sheet off the patch.

I had three small slits in my deep end right where the bowl transitions to the side at about 8 feet down. I did the patch in March 2006 (too cold to get in) and it's still holding fine. Rest of the liner is falling apart but the patch is holding.

Al

[reesie]

It took me a while to find the Boxer glue but I finally found it. I had to call 6 pool stores and travel 65 miles to get it but it was worth it. We followed the instructions, waited 24 hours after we patched it and refilled the pool. We had lost about half the volume of the pool. The hole was at the joint of the wall and the floor. It's been a little more than 10 days and everything's fine!
Thanks to everyone for the instructions on how to patch the liner!

[JimK]

Hopefully someone will see this post in this old thread.....

I found a very small tear in my liner and ordered the suggested Boxer patch kit to repair it. The included clear vinyl patch has a smooth side and a textured side, but the instructions don't say which on side to apply the adhesive.

Anyone know? My guess is the smooth side for maximum surface contact with the glue? Or the textured side to give the glue something to grip to? I don't know......but I'd like to get this right the first time.

Help!

Edit: I found an FAQ for Boxer Adhesives:

http://www.boxeradhesives.com/faq.html#11

According to the FAQ it makes no difference which side is used. . I think I'll apply glue to the textured side so smooth side is exposed to water (don't want to give algae/gunk anything to cling to ).

[CarlD]

If your pool wall is smooth, use the smooth side. I saved a bunch of vinyl from my old liner and use that to patch my current (now doomed) liner. I like to double-patch: The first patch is about 1/2" - 1" bigger than the hole. The second patch is at least an inch bigger than the first patch.

[JimK]

I do have pieces of the original liner, but it's thicker than the clear patch and I'm thinking the thicker/white edges will be more obvious and easier for something to catch on and pull off the patch.

Out of curiosity, I did a leak test where I found the small tear (it's very small; hard to see but can feel it with my finger). I didn't notice any dye (actuall I just used phenol red) being sucked in. Perhaps the tear doesn't penetrate the liner?

While I was checking for a leak, I also checked around the steps and fixtures.....nothing noticeable. The past two winters I lost about 4" over a period of about 7 months (pool coved with a solid cover), so there's a leak somewhere, but I can't find where. I'm not too concerned about it right now since it's such a slow leak. It's not noticeable during the swim season.

[CarlD]

If you get the outer patch sealed properly (I use a rubber tile roller) it will be FINE and last for years. I've tried other patching materials, but the Boxer glue and liner material, double-patched, make the BEST and most durable patches. IMHO.

[JimK]

If you get the outer patch sealed properly (I use a rubber tile roller) it will be FINE and last for years. I've tried other patching materials, but the Boxer glue and liner material, double-patched, make the BEST and most durable patches. IMHO.

I greatly appreciate the feedback and suggestions.

I do need to get a set of goggles before making the repair (I don't have any). The tear is in a corner that points into the pool (lazy L shaped pool) a few inches above where it meets the floor of the shallow end. I can't quite reach the tear without dunking my head under water, so goggles would probably be a good idea. I guess cheap goggles would be good enough? Suggestions?

[PoolDoc]

Dye checking for leaks MUST be done with the pump off, and with you moving VERY slowly. It's almost impossible to do leak checking holding your breath, because the movement from bobbing up and down does not stop till AFTER you run out of air, and have to stir things up again.

[CarlD]

Last year, for the first time, I was able to use the dye successfully. I found two holes, fairly far apart where I thought there might be one. I just let the dye sit in the pool with the plumbing off and me NOT in the water, so it was still, and it found the holes.

[JimK]

Dye checking for leaks MUST be down with the pump off, and with you moving VERY slowly. It's almost impossible to do leak checking holding your breath, because the movement from bobbing up and down does not stop till AFTER you run out of air, and have to stir things up again.

I did shut the pump off a couple hours before trying the dye test. I also tried to move real slow. The places I tested the dye seemed to just sit there without much movement.

I watch a few videos so I'd have an idea what to look for, but I didn't observe anything like I saw in the videos.

At this point I'm not too worried about it since water loss over the winter was only about 1/2" per month. I don't notice any unusual loss during the summer.

I also wonder if the leak is actually somewhere above the water line and water only leaks out when we get a heavy rain during the winter causing a lot of water to collect on the cover, causing it to sag, and displacing the water in the pool above the normal level. Btw, I don't lower the water level at closing, the idea being to help prevent the liner from floating (we're only 9ft above sea level). Plausible?