Now what!? Fixed the holes, pool collapsed!

[farmgirl]

Correct me if i am wrong, but can't ANY liner slip out of place? Mine seems Ok, though perhaps not perfect. It is pretty great looking considering DH and I installed the pool ourselves, from the ground up, with very few written instructions to follow. We had NO experience, just made up our minds and did it! I had wanted a pool all my life, and he did all the ground prep for me. Fortunately, he works for a marine construction company, and could borrow all the equipment we needed for free, AND he knew how to use it!!! LOL! But liners age, and do not stay "stable" for their entire life span right? I mean, ground shifts, water shifts, temperature changes.......won't they all affect how the liner "behaves"??? I would think most liner problems would come with old age (ahem!) and shrinking when pool is dry. Am i on the right path here?

[hrsdennis]

Farmgirl, congrats on your pool install, enjoy something you have wanted for so long. Yes, all types of liners can pull loose. Beaded liners are well known for coming out of the bead reciever. Special plastic inserts are made to keep them in place in touble areas. Because the bead reciever is also a strong retaining rod the liner will usually pull out of the bead, or tear just under the bead, before it brings the wall down. A j hook liner is held in place by a good retaining rod also. That might be a tough pull as to what would give first. Overlap liners usually pull free of the wall but some retaining rods have an extra tight grip and the walls will pull down.

The number one lesson learned. There is only one reason to drain a vinyl liner pool, if you are going to change the liner. All vinyl liners will shrink when left empty, even for a day. refilling could be a problem.

Dennis

[Cal_Newbie]

A very informative thread....sad, but informative. I just recently finished our AG and learned quite a bit, especially about temperature and vinyl. Because the pool face east/west, only 1/2 gets sun and I installed the liner in mid winter. I'll tell you this, "NEVER AGAIN!" It would not stretch and when I did get it to fit...barely, it started to buckle the sides. I waited 3 weeks for a day to exceed 70 degrees and what a difference several degrees made; it stretched like Saran Wrap and no issues what so ever. This was a J-Hook system.

I will ask this however: If for whatever odd reason a person needed to lower their AG water, how low would you say one can do this safely without running into a situation such as liner shrinkage?

Bob-

[farmgirl]

I will ask this however: If for whatever odd reason a person needed to lower their AG water, how low would you say one can do this safely without running into a situation such as liner shrinkage?

Bob-i wish i could help you with this answer, but i know some of our pool veterans will.....i have never had my water level below that which we drain for winter closing. about 5 inches below the skimmer.

[hrsdennis]

Hi Bob, good question. This has been a good thread and the answer to your question sure seems like it belongs here. Always leave between six inches and a foot of water in your pool. The reasons for draining can be many. Usually they are to patch holes or to clean. These can both be done while still leaving six inces of water in the pool.

The only exception to that would be a pool in it's first season that needed work done under the liner. That could be to apply more grass killer, relevel or other such things. This can be easily done in the first season. Beyond that just keep water in it. If the pool is inground with dirt backfilled against it, never drain until you need to change the liner. At that time do the whole thing in a day or two. These pools love to cave in.

Later, Dennis

[Cal_Newbie]

Never emptying mine...EVER!!LOL

[newbie2pools]

Never emptying mine...EVER!!LOL

Yeah me either!!! Again....

So sorry it's taken this long to get back on the thread. Quite honestly, I was just so sick from what happened and afraid of how expensive the fix might be! We just used tax return for some other things needing done on the house before this happened so now we're stuck fixing this as economically as possible! (of course - who doesn't want to right?!)

The upright rails are still standing - the sides just pulled out of the top rails nearly entirely. The top rails are even still attached. We have been able to straighten up the walls - the creases aren't so severe that it damaged them I don't think. I believe when we get water into it, it will finish straightening them.

We want to try to get a new liner, because I agree - I think it shrunk up and pulled the sides down. We were looking at the beaded ones since they look to be easier to install correctly. Is that right? With just the two of us (and one teenage kid) it's going to be tough to put this thing back up (unless I can sprout a few more hands soon!)

I really appreciate the help and kind words. It really does make me sick that the pool has been such an expensive thing to learn how to manage, but I love it anyway. I was excited that I now knew how to care for it with regular bleach and such after spending so much at the pool store in the beginning last year, now this. Such is life, right!

OH, additionally, if anyone has advice on where to get a liner, type (beaded/overlap - gauge) and how do I make sure the cove is okay (that it's not washed away too much) I'd appreciate it. Right now we have a 24' x 48" overlap, sand bottom and cove.

Pam