Pool Wall Split

by Tanya
(St. John's, NL, Canada)

I have an 18ft round pool. We had a lot of ice build up this year and the metal wall of the pool has buckled on one half. There is also a 6 inch vertical split from the bottom up in one section. Can this be repaired and can the buckled pool wall be fixed so that it is reusable? I really hope we can fix this ourselves.

Also, the pool is less than half full now and this is solid ice with some snow on top. Should we add water to the ice to top it up or will this put further pressure on the sides. Is it best to leave as is until the ice melts? I am afraid with it being less than half full that the walls are in danger from any winde, etc....

Please provide advice...

Thanks so much!!!



Hi Tanya. Yes, it can be fixed, but be very careful. The crease at the top is not a problem. A rubber mallet on one side and a 2 x 4 piece of lumber on the other will let you pound that back into shape.

Your problem is the tear at the bottom. The farther down the wall you go the more the water pressure against the wall increases. Repairs done low on the wall need to be done carefully. Simply taping a piece of flat stock over the tear, like you could do at the top of the wall, won't work. A bad repair will result in something like this photo.

One way to repair it is with a section of old pool wall. An eight foot piece or so could be placed inside the existing wall and bolted into place at both ends. The nuts and bolts could be hid behind a couple of uprights so the repair would not be visible from the outside.

Another way of fixing it would be to rivet a 24" x 24" piece of flat metal to the inside of the pool. This could be inserted into the bottom track, inside you existing wall, and then riveted many times. The edges should then be covered with a couple layers of duck tape.

There are probably more ways to repair a wall, just make sure the repair is strong. Otherwise you are better off replacing the wall, or possibly the whole pool, since walls alone can be very expensive.

You might be able to find a used pool in your area for an incredible price, sometimes free just for getting it out of a backyard.