Pool Wall Caving In While Filling

by Jerry May
(Elizabethton, TN)

While filling my new pool with water, the walls started caving in. There is only about 8 inches of water in the pool. The liner is the type that has a "V" that hooks onto the top of the pool wall.

I stopped filling the pool and can't figure out what is causing this. I have not put the top rails on yet. The installation manual said that I didn't need to do this until the pool was full.



Hi Jerry. It sounds like the liner is a bit tight and needs to stretch out a little. This is not a bad thing, much better than the liner being to big and full of wrinkles.

I think you should drain the water and start over. I would build the pool completely as this keeps the pool from blowing down in a breeze and also gives the wall some support while the liner is stretching.

Start filling the pool in direct sun on a warm day, at least as warm as possible. Liners need direct sun in order to do any stretching at all, without it they have no elasticity, it's like trying to stretch a piece of paper.

As you start to fill, work the base of the liner out towards the walls in all directions. This is done inside the pool on your hands and knees. As the sun warms the liner this could easily put more liner out to the walls where it is needed. You should then be able to finish filling. If the walls are tight, meaning the liner will have to stretch for it to fit, and you loose your sun, just shut the water off and start it again the next day.