Rupture in Pool Wall

by Peter Violette
(Poland, Maine, USA)

rupture in pool wall

Two winters ago when we winterized our pool, we put the top on too tight, that combined with the excessive snowfall that Maine got that year, caused my pool to buckle so much that the wall ruptured, it is about a foot long. In the picture you see that it is laying on the ground.(its not as destroyed as it may seem) I took off the top rails so that they don't get bent from the collapsing wall. Is it possible to repair this rupture? It is the only thing that is wrong with the pool and I don't want to spend the money to get a new wall.

Hi Peter. This is the only type of tear in an above ground pool sidewall I really do not recommend fixing. When a wall bursts open, it tears in an upward fashion as shown in your picture. That’s the type of wall damage that you should not try to patch over.

There is an option I think might work for you, much less expensive than a new wall. Some pools now days are sold with a stainless steel service panel. This is about a 5’ section of wall with the skimmer and return holes cut into it. A piece of wall like this could be bolted to the inside of the pool, covering the damaged area. A service panel will come with one set of holes, for nuts and bolts, at each end. I would add another row of bolts on each side. You should be able to hide the bolts behind an upright. The skimmer and return holes could be taped over as you would not be using them.

The service panel could be replaced with a section of regular sidewall if that is more readily available. You would just need to make all of your nut and bolt holes, not a big deal since you would be doing a lot of drilling anyway.