Safety of an Above Ground Pool

by Barbarann
(Tonawanda NY)

I have an above ground pool that is very old, I would say about 12 years old. All the children are gone but grandchildren still love to go in it. I keep saying this is the last year but then try to get another year out of it for there enjoyment.

It is a 21 ft round normal 4ft deep above ground pool. In the spring my yard floods and I see around the pool a lot of rust, and that is OK for now.

What I am worried about is the pool collapsing on the kids. I know that can happen and someone told me you can get very hurt that way, who ever is in the pool. Do you think this is safe and how can you tell when it has had its day?



Hi Barbarann. That's a very good question so let me try and answer it. I have seen pools that were twenty years old look like they could last another twenty. I have seen pool five years old that I was afraid to put a new liner in for fear it would not hold.

Yes, when a pool explodes, it can be dangerous. Anyone inside the pool could get sucked through a jagged opening in a metal sidewall. When a pool bursts, all of the water is released in a matter of a minute or two. This can cause damage to anything round the pool, even flooding the house if it is close enough.

You should be able to get a good idea as to the condition of your side wall by closely examining the outside of it. If there is dirt packed up against it, you may need to pull it back to see the entire side wall. If you see vinyl showing through the wall anywhere I would drain the pool immediately.

The bottom rail of the pool, and the last few inches of sidewall may look rusty, that's not a big deal. If they are falling apart rusty then it is. You can take a screw driver and probe the wall and bottom rails. You should be able to poke and scrape them without them falling apart. A little rust will just flake off, a pool that is to rusty will disintegrate.

The other way to get a very good idea of the condition of your pool is when you change your liner. With the liner out, the wall can be examined, and repaired if needed. The repairs can be a little sanding and some spray paint or you may need some wall patches. The topic of wall repair is well covered on these pages.

Pool Wall Repair

Vinyl Liner Replacement