Pool Winter Problem

by Scott
(Massachusetts)

Hi, First year above ground pool owner. I thought I did a good job winterizing it but evidently I didn't. It appears that I didn't remove enough water from the pool prior to closing the pool.

It is late February and I have 3 inches of ice on the cover of the pool. The ice has come through the skimmer hole. We have had some warm days and now water is leaking out of the skimmer and the pool wall is buckling a little bit. I think as the ice is moving up and down it is putting pressure where the skimmer hole is.

I want to drain some water out of the pool but I'm concerned that if the ice on the cover goes lower into the pool it will buckle the pool wall more because the ice on the cover is solid right into the pool skimmer. On top of the ice is a foot of snow. I was going to shovel it off but I'm not sure if that would make it worse. If there is any one out there that made a mistake like this and knows of a way to fix it let me know. Thank you


Hi Scott. The real trick to winterizing a pool is to get a skimmer block and then keep the pool as full as possible. Blocking off the skimmer will keep the water out of it so that it can't freeze and create the problems you are having.



I'm not sure there is anything you can do except wait until all the snow and ice are melted and see what you have. You may need to lower the water level and do some wall repairs. That would be pretty simple, just remove a few top rails, straighten the wall and reset the liner.

If the skimmer is damaged it might need replace. This again should be easy.

Your damage should be minimal and repairs easy to do. Hope all works out well and you get to use the pool all summer.

Skimmer Guard