Torn Pool Wall Under Return

by Tom
(Haddam, ct)

The pool store will not touch this, due to liability. How can I fix this split at the return, and bent track? Will repair be strong enough to hold back 18,000 gallons of water? The pool is a 54" Oval pool, 2 years old.

Hi Tom.

Practically anything you do that high on the wall will be just fine. There is very little water pressure at that point. The farther down the wall you go the more pressure there is. Repairs near the bottom of a wall have to be very well done or a wall could easily burst. This will not happen with a repair near the top.

The larger Doughboy oval pools come with two side walls. This is a very neat way to keep the weight down and make installing them easier. Anyone who has had the fun of moving, and installing, an 18' x 33' 54" wall by themselves can appreciate this.

Both walls have skimmer and return holes precut into them. Both walls come with two square pieces of sidewall material, a large and a small. At the end of the pool not getting the filter equipment these square pieces of metal are taped to the inside of the pool to cover the openings.

I would use that same principle in your situation. You can use a cookie sheet or buy a piece of flat aluminum or steel from a hardware store. Once in a real pinch I cut up two beer cans and used a double layer over a return hole. It worked just fine.

You should hammer the area as flat as possible and then tape a plate over it. You can then use a 2 1/2" hole saw and cut a new opening for your return.

I have repaired liners also that have pulled out of the return area. I glue about a 6" x 6" piece of vinyl to the back side of the liner and allow it to dry. The return gets reinstalled with a new hole cut in the liner. The patch itself is sandwiched between the return assembly and will never come off.