EMERGENCY! Pool liner collapse

[Mom2Czars]

Our pool liner just failed. I thought the pool was frozen solid, but apparently it's not because I just looked out and the whole middle has collapsed. Obviously the liner is toast but is there any way to save the structure of the pool? The pool wall is pulling away from the uprights a bit and there is a small buckly near the bottom.

HELP!

[ElleM]

My walls started to buckle last week but my liner is still intact. The only thing our pool guy said we could do at this point is loosen the cables for the cover. My pool is toast.

Ice damage, argggg!

[CarlD]

Yes, release the cover any way you can, even if you have to cut it away. You MUST remove the cover's pulling the walls in. The water/ice on the cover is normally supported by the water in the pool. The water goes down, the cover pulls in on unsupported walls (the water is a structural component), and the pool collapses.

Once you do that I suggest you run lines and stakes to pull the walls OUT until spring, and keep them from going in. After all, the walls are designed to resist outward pressure, just not inward pressure.

I suspect the pool is salvagable after that, though it may need to be dis-assembled partially or completely.

[Mom2Czars]

In my case, we had used those blue clips, so the cover is totally detached from the wall at this point. We cut the cords that were anchoring the pillow thing too.

The uprights and top rails look OK so far, but I'm concerned about the small buckle at ground level.

Should we try to cut the liner to relieve more pressure on the walls? I'm at a loss for what to do here.

[matt4x4]

Precisely WHY I continually advise against the use of a cover on an AG pool - I see it every winter.
Wherever you get cold weather, it is very unlikely that owners will be able to stay on top removing the water that collects on the cover, mainly because it turns to ice first. The best winterizing is to not use a cover, keep the return and skimmer open so they stay drained to their bottoms and can't freeze up. if you must use a cover due to leaves, pump and clean it off after the leaves are done falling, remove it and let the pool be for the winter.

At this point, your best way to attempt saving your pool is to completely release the cover, once things melt, make sure your return and skimmer are able to drain and the cover does not block them, you'll have a big mess to clean up, but it's better than a broken pool.
The crease on the wall may come out in sprintime and all might be well.

Do NOT cut the liner, a small wrinkle in teh wall is likely minor.