Now what!? Fixed the holes, pool collapsed!

[scsteven]

I feel so bad for you. Seeing your pics just made my stomach turn!! Good luck to you.

[iwannapool]

Is this the effect of having drained the pool or is it what happens when the pool is not designed or manufactured correctly? Is the pool very old?

Just wondering.

[GraceByDesign]

It is the water pressure that keeps the sides of an AGP from collapsing, under normal circumstances. Why it waited until you were refilling to collapse is beyond me... perhaps some things became loose or detached over the winter due to being empty, and gave way with the added weight of the water?? Or the liner shrunk/got brittle over the winter and pulled the walls in instead of stretching to meet them...

I would think the problem lies with the emptiness of the pool, rather than its age.

I don't really have a clue, seeing as I don't even have a pool yet!! So sorry, though. I cannot imagine how you feel.

[sevver]

I am going to have to say that the liner shrunk and with filling it it pulled the sides in. It happened to me only I caught it as it was doing it on my first pool install here. All I had to do was let some liner loose and I was able to save it.

[badutahboy]

I am going to have to say that the liner shrunk and with filling it it pulled the sides in. It happened to me only I caught it as it was doing it on my first pool install here. All I had to do was let some liner loose and I was able to save it.

I figured that too.... looking at the way those walls collapsed, they were most certainly pulled down.

so that presents an interesting question... Is there a method that you should use when filling your pool to avoid this? Obviously you can't watch it every second, so is there something you should do with the liner to make sure you have the proper amount of slack in it, particularly with overlap liners? Also, is this something that you've got any chance of having covered by warranty?


Edit: Newbie, I'm really sorry about your pool. That's terrible.

[sevver]

I did not put the top rails and such on mine until it was like 3/4 full if I remember correctly. It wasn't that I had it perfect right off of the get go, I did that last. I put it in, removed most of the wrinkles, and began to fill it. As it came up to the jet opening I cut it in, then I put the top stuff on, then cut in the skimmer once the water was coming up to it.

The thing is, the liner in the collapsed one shrunk and dried smaller.

[hrsdennis]

Hey newbie, Since normally, once the water is a foot or so up the wall you are safe and out of any danger, before I go into a big long thing about what might have happened and how to fix it I have one question.

From your pics I did not see any signs of metal retaining rods. I enlarged them all and looked closely. Are they still under the top rail or does your pool not have them? They should have kept the wall from pulling out of the upright top plates.

Your photos have made a mess of my evening. I would give anything to have just one day where I could fly to your town and help you put this pool back together. I see pool disasters on a regular basis but not being there to help makes my heart bleed.

Start by locating the metal rods that hold the coping in place and we can go from there. It is all fixable, just not an easy thing.

Later, Dennis