Sand Seeping Out From Under Wall

by Paul
(Harrisburg, Pa)

I put in a pool this summer and after a few days of rain we finally got back into the pool and the sand was soft around the cove. After stepping on it some the sand squished out onto the outside of the wall. There is still a lot of the cove left and definitely not a leak.

Should I be worried? Will it be fine once it dries out? Is there anyway to fix this problem or return the little bit of sand?



Hi Paul. It was probably all the rain that made the cove feel soft, so that in itself, is not a problem. Sand washing out is usually caused by a leak in the liner but if you are sure that is not happening I'll rule that out.

The only thing is could be is the rails not sitting firmly on solid ground. This is very important. I would make sure there is solid dirt under all the bottom rails. The next thing I would do is to put a small dirt cove around the outside of the pool. This will help to keep the sand in the pool and the rainwater out of the pool.

Repairing the damage can only be done by draining the pool. When this is done be sure to leave a few inches of water in the pool. The liner can be pulled back and the cove repaired without completely draining the pool. Leaving water in the pool keeps the liner from shrinking and shifting.

It sounds like the damage is not so bad that you would need to drain the pool. As long as the liner is not resting on the pool framework I would leave it alone, that is the only time you need to make repairs ASAP.