Refilling a Doughboy Above Ground Pool

by Chris
(Jenison, MI)

We have a 28 round doughboy pool. We had to drain it, other than the deep end, in order to patch 2 holes that were in the shallow end. Now we are refilling it, and are concerned, as it is pulling the liner taunt from the top edges. We are scared that it may pull the sides of the pool in. Will the liner automatically expand to accommodate the water? We did see some wrinkles at the edge of the deep end and attempted to move them toward the shallow end to give extra liner, in case it needs to expand more. Can you tell us if it is normal for the liner to be pulling? Will it just go into place as water fills the pool?




Hi Chris. Any time you drain an above ground pool you run the risk of having to replace the liner. Had you left at least a foot of water in the pool, made your repairs, and refilled you would have been fine. Or better yet, you could have patched the holes without draining any water out of the pool.

How much the liner has shrunk and how much damage has been done is impossible for me to say. The best chance you have of being able to fill the pool back up is to do it during the hottest part of the day, in direct sunlight. You should also be working the liner to make it as smooth as possible as you fill it.

If the liner is warm, and still pliable, the sides should stretch into place. The older a liner gets the less stretch it will have. You should be watching it closely as it fills. If the liner will not stretch it will either pull out at the top or it will pull the wall down. You need to keep a close eye on it. Normally if you can get a couple feet of water in it you should be fine the rest of the way.