Winter Damaged Pool Wall

by Martha
(Massachusetts)

The weight of the snow buckled 4 uprights and a lower side wall in an 8ft area. If the uprights are replaced do you think the pool wall is safe to use?
Thank you.



Hi Martha. The answer would depend entirely upon the amount of damage and the extent of your repairs. All above ground pool sidewalls can be repaired. The thing to keep in mind is that the lower you go on the wall the more pressure is put on it by the weight of the water.

While a small tear in the wall, near the top, could easily be fixed with a couple layers of duct tape, the same tear farther down the wall will need a large patch.

Repairs can be as simple as taping flat stock metal over the damaged area, from inside the pool. And in most cases this is fine. The lower down the wall, the bigger the patch should be.

A repair could also consist of riveting a large piece of flat stock over a damaged area. Tape would still be used, but only to protect the liner from any exposed metal.

An even more elaborate wall repair can be made by using a section of an old pool wall. The new wall could be placed inside the existing wall and bolted into place. I would set this up so the bolts at each end were hidden behind uprights. So if the damage was in a three section area, the wall could be cut to cover five sections.

In your case, you did not mention a tear in the wall. It is very possible that a hammer on one side and a piece of 2x4 on the other would make the wall flat again. If there is no tear, or hole, it will probably be good as new and ready to reuse as is.

Yes, wall repairs are very possible, just be careful.