Hole in Pool Sidewall

by Christina
(Apple Valley, CA)

We bought a used 24' round above ground pool and put the frame up only to find out that the liner had holes in it, we ordered a new liner, and while we were waiting for the new liner to arrive we had a very bad wind storm that knocked the frame down and bent the metal wall. When we picked it up we noticed in one of the places that it bent and left a small hole. Is there any way it can be repaired?


Hi Christina. Holes in a sidewall can easily be repaired. What you are describing could probably be taken care of with just tape or aluminum tape. Another way to fix it would be to tape a piece of aluminum, or metal over the hole. A piece of flat stock about the size and thickness of the base of a pie pan is just fine. In a pinch I have made repair patches out of cookie sheets, pie pans and a beer can. It just takes a pair of tin snips. Hardware stores also carry 12 and 18 inch flat stock that is used for bending into fascia wraps and other types of house trim.

These are a couple pages of related reading that might be helpful.
Pool Wall Repair
Pool Wall Rusted

Hole in Pool Wall

by Charles
(Long Islan N.Y.)

I have a 13 yr old pool that has a place in the wall rusted through. The hole is about the size of golf ball. I had the liner replaced about 4 yrs ago and foam backing was put in. I lost water over the winter and pool is now almost empty. Should I replace the pool or repair the hole? I don't see any hole in the liner. Is the pool wall in danger of collapsing?



Hi Chuck. Small holes in the pool wall can be easily repaired. A flat piece of metal can be taped to the inside of the wall. Any hole a couple of inches wide should have about a two foot square piece for an adequate repair.

The other factor in deciding whether or not to repair a hole in the wall would be the location. The lower on the wall the hole is the more pressure there is on it. From the middle of the wall up the pressure decreases and the chances of wall failure decrease. Repairs on the lower areas of the side wall can still be made, you just need to more aware of any rust issues and use larger patches.

Hole in Steel Pool Wall

by Melissa
(Honesdale, PA)

Hello,
We have a brand new above ground pool and the steel wall has about a 1 inch hole in it. I'm assuming a rock kicked up from the mower and caused the hole?? Does the whole pool have to be replaced? or can it be patched? Is it safe to swim in, surprisingly it did not puncture the liner. Thanks for any input.
Melissa


Hi Melissa. A hole like that, in an above ground pool sidewall, can be easily repaired. I would drain the pool water down to about six inches below the hole. I would then pull the liner back and tape a piece of metal over the hole on the inside of the pool.

Read more about repairing a sidewall on these pages.

Pool Wall Repair

Pool Wall Split