Replacing Section Of Sidewall

by Larry Copeland
(Georgia)

My above ground pool was installed in 1998. It's a 15x30 and the side wall has busted due to a leak from the return.

I took a section of wall out, approx 15 ft, and want to scab a piece of wall back in its place. Do you think that would be OK to do? Everything else seems to be fine.




Hi Larry. I would not have a problem doing that. But you do need to be careful. There is a lot of water pressure exerted against the walls of the pool, and pool walls do fail from time to time. So repairs of this nature are done at you own risk.

Have you seen the pools with the rustproof skimmer panels? That's basically what that is. They are only a few feet long, but they do sort of scab into place. They use a double row of nuts and bolts at each end and provide the skimmer and return with a flat mounting surface on a piece of metal that will not rust.

I've never been a big fan of these panels, but some pools do have them. So, yes, there is nothing wrong with your idea. Be sure to use the double row of nuts and bolts at each end and you should be just fine.

Hopefully you have found some used pool sidewall that you can use. They are probably pretty easy to come by at either pool stores or people getting rid of their pools on Craigs List. If you are using something other than pool wall make sure it is thick enough to do the job. You really do not want to be in a pool when a wall decides to burst.