Vinyl Pool Half Empty

by Chris
(Michigan)

We are in the process of patching a rust spot about half way down the side of our pool. It popped a small hole in the liner so we need to get behind the liner and patch the wall and the liner itself.

We have emptied the pool about half way, maybe more. We live in Michigan and the pool is around 10 years old. How long can we leave the pool half empty without damaging the liner? It's a big project that we are trying to do daily.





Hi Chris. A half empty pool should not cause a problem, at least not in a couple of weeks, if that's what it takes. You just want to do the repairs and refill as soon as possible.

Liner shrinkage depends, to a large degree, on the age of the liner. The older the liner the less elasticity it will have. A ten year old liner, drained all the way, has very little chance of refilling. A liner in the first year or two can be drained and refilled many time without a problem.

You will want to keep an eye on the liner that is above the water line. Make sure it stays soft and pliable. This should give you a good idea as to the condition of the liner. If it is dry, cracking and shrinking, it may not refill again. Ten years is beyond the life expectancy of many brands of vinyl liners so I would keep a close eye on it.

Half way down is well within the safe area for most liners. They usually start to shrink closer to the six inch point. As the liner get closer to being empty you run more risks of having problems.

If everything seems OK, and the wall repairs are done, plan to fill the pool when the sun will be the most direct on the liner. The heat of the sun really helps the liner to stretch back into place. Any shrinkage that has occurred should take care of itself if you do that.