Bent Pool Wall

Our pool wall folded over in the area just to the left of the skimmer and just to the right of the return outlet due to a shrunken liner. The fold is about 1 foot from the top of the wall and is not quite a 90 degree angle. Is this safe to straighten out and put a new liner in?

Hi

You should have no problem with straightening the side wall and reinstalling a new liner. If this leaves creases in the wall they can be reinforced and smoothed over with duct tape on the inside of the sidewall.

In extreme cases of wall damage thin sheet metal or aluminum can be taped to the inside of the sidewall. The upper half of the pool wall has a lot less pressure on it than the bottom half. You can safely make repairs of just about any nature in this area.

This page might be helpful also.

Pool Wall Repair

Bent Pool Wall

I have an above ground pool and it has winter damage on the bottom of wall were it goes into the track. It bulged out and ripped liner. Can the wall be removed and straightened?

Hi

Above ground pool side walls can always be straightened out. If there was dirt around the outside that caused this, it may have to be removed. Otherwise the wall should very easily be pushed back into shape once the liner has been cut out of the pool.

Bulges in the wall like you are describing are always caused by something. If it was just the ground possibly swelling from a freeze there may not be much way to prevent it from happening again in the future. But repairs may have to be made to assure the pool is back to being perfectly level.

This type of damage may have been caused by the pool not being level so that needs to be checked very closely. If a pool is in ground, and has been left empty, the ground caving in would also cause something like this.

So, yes, the repairs are easy. Just make sure the pool is back into perfect condition before spending the money on a new liner.

Bugs Eating Liner

by: GC

My 21' above ground pool liner gets small holes in the bottom from mid July on. I suspect these bugs are eating the liner to get water. Last year before I installed a new liner I soaked the ground under the liner and around the outside about a foot with Dominion 21 and just the outside with OrthoMax. I still got holes but not as much. Well the liner leaked over the winter, the ice fell in a bent the walls all the way around. What can I do to stop these bugs from eating my liner? I thought of buying a gorilla pad but don't know if it will stop these pests. Thanks

Hi

That would be my best advice. Treat the ground one more time with bug killer and cover it with a pool pad of some sort.

Pool Wall Buckled at Supports

by June
(Central MA)

My liner broke due to us not clearing water from our winter cover (at least that's what we were told). Water froze to the cover, then with a little thaw the ice dropped pulling down on the walls, blew out the liner and made the wall buckle at supports and two track pieces broke.

I see other posts where there was buckling at the top but this is at the bottom of about 1/2 of the supports. Can this safely be fixed?

The pool is empty, we have a new liner but don't want to buy a new wall. I've attached pictures. Thanks for any help!

Hi June

The wall damage can be hammered out without a problem. Since you will probably not be replacing the wall there is no need to replace the rails, they should be fine.

I would check the level very closely. The wall damage that you have usually occurs when a foot plate raises due to the ground freezing. If you pound out the wall and leave a post high, the crease will come back as the pool fills. Make sure the post is level with the rest.

The same is true with the bottom track, make sure they are not resting on high spots.

Pool Wall Buckling From Winter Freeze

by Chris
(Ottawa, On)

Hello, I have seen other comments about this type of problem but the photos do not seem to be as severe as what has happened to my pool this winter. Based on this photo is this a buckling problem that can be repaired by pounding the walls back and refitting the coping etc? I welcome any and all suggestions in advance of my upcoming consultation with a pool contractor.

Thanks, Chris

Hi Chris

There is a good chance the wall can be repaired. It might mean taking the wall down and rolling it out flat on concrete to get it as smooth as you need it to be. If there aren't any tears or holes in the wall, pounding it smooth will work.

I have flattened walls much worse than that many times. They were pools that were set in the ground and the dirt around them collapsed. That makes a real mess of a wall.

When putting the pool back together, still in the ground, we do not have to worry as much about wall integrity. As soon as the pool is full dirt gets packed in around it. There is never much chance of a wall giving out after that happens.

On top of the ground is a different story. There are many ways to strengthen a wall by reinforcing it, so if it were me I would not trash the wall. Just be careful and make sure that if it needs reinforced that's what you do.