Pool Coving Sink Holes

by Gene
(Hughesville, MD. USA)

I have an above ground 16X24 Kayak pool and it was dug out into a slight hill on one side of the yard. I currently have a few sinkholes in the bottom of pool about 5inches by 10inches but only against the hill side of the pool.

The hill side of the pool on the outside of the pool has been dug out about 5 feet away from the pool and then you have to step up to get on level ground away from the pool. What I believe is happening is rain is washing down toward the base of the pool from the hill and causing the dips and "dents" in the sand cove bottom.

If I were to fill in against the pool with fill dirt so that the hill side is level with the ground area will this prevent more sink holes from appearing do you think? Thank you very much for your help.

Sincerely, Gene




Hi Gene. I think your idea is the thing to do. You are probably right about the rain water and backfilling this area would take care of that.

You may want to repair the damaged areas before you do the backfill. Any type of sink holes in the cove area is not a good thing. If the liner were to come into contact with the bottom rails or footplates the liner could easily burst.

If you plan to make repairs be sure to leave several inches of water in the pool. Vinyl liners shrink real easy if they are completely drained. Leaving a few inches of water in the bottom should prevent this. A small amount of shrinking is normal and as long as you refill the pool in direct sunlight it should not be a problem.

To make repairs simply remove a few top rails and have a helper hold the liner back out of your way while you rebuild the sand cove. Your helper would be inside the pool holding the liner and you would be on the outside leaning over the wall to work the sand.