Water Behind Liner

[kdnulph]

I took the cover off my pool yesterday and the liner had bubbled up. By pulling the liner away from the top I can see lots of water behind the liner. There has been a lot of rain this year and the gound is almost all clay. I was told there were drainage tiles put in when the pool was installed but with the soil type they will only help so much. Can I just suck the water out with a pump and smooth the line back or is there something else I should do?

Thanks.

[duraleigh]

You're on the right track. The liner will go back when you remove the ground water. Getting it out with a hose may or may not be a troublesome job.

If your are looking for a permanent fix, many folks sink (from the surface to below the pool floor) an 8 or 10 inch pvc pipe as close to the pool as possible. this allows them to drop a submersible pump into the pipe and keep the ground water away from your pool.

If you decide on this, be sure to drill holes in the pipe and cover them with landscape fabric that allows the water through but not the dirt.

[MarkC]

I used to have a fish pond that would have the same problem. Pumping out the water fixed the problem.

[kdnulph]

That submersible pump idea is very interesting. Have you done that before or know anyone who has? Can you give me any more details.

[duraleigh]

Basically, it's a hole in the ground beside your pool from which you can pump ground water. All sorts of methods to build it. I would dig a hole a little deeper than your pool, insert an 8 or 10" pvc pipe with several holes drilled in it and covered on the outside with landscape fabric. after inserting the pipe, fill the rest of the hole with #57 (driveway) rock.

That's it. Cut the pipe off flush with your lawn and put a landscape lid on it. If it fills with water, a $60 pump from HD/lowes will easily drop down into the pipe and drain the water.

My neighbor had one built into his decking.....looks like one of the skimmer access lids.

[kdnulph]

Is there a trick to getting the liner back into the crease once the water is gone? I'm having a heck of a time..Don't want to rip the liner.

[waste]

kd, welcome to the forum! As you are removing the water from behind the liner, use your wall brush to remove the wrinkles that will form, try to work them parallel to the wrinkle from both sides, if one gets tough, kill the removal pump for a few minutes while you work on it.
As for getting the liner back into it's track, pour hot water on the entire area (hot water from your tap should be enough) then work it in from both sides. (I could probably get it in w/o the hot water but there's no way I can describe the 'technique' in a post ) If you are still having problems after trying the hot water thing, personal message me and we'll work out a way to talk 1 on 1, so I can help you further. Good luck with the pool, and enjoy it while the weather's good!! -Waste