Ice Damage

by Joe
(newburgh, ny)

So I woke up this morning and several posts on my pool are ripped off the ground (see pictures). I just installed the pool last summer with help of some friends, one who supposedly used to install pools.

As you may know it has been a terribly cold winter in New York. I live in the Hudson valley and we were hit hard.

What should I do? About 4 posts already ripped out from the ground and it looks like another 4 are ready to go. I'm currently pumping the water off the top because it has finally melted.

The pool is 27' round.

Hi Joe

It looks like an easy fix to get the pool ready for the summer. It is strange though how that is happening. Are the posts by any chance resin?

The posts can either be replaced with new ones or they can be reattached the way they are. I would just reattach them.

I would attach an L-bracket to the plate on both sides and then attach the post to that. If it went up the post a ways you could use a few screws on each side, that might hold better.

The repairs can be made with water in the pool so I would not drain it completely. Take out as much water as you need to, maybe half way or so.

Dented Pool Wall From Winter Ice

My husband went out to open the pool the other day and the wall by the skimmer was dented and partially caved. We contacted our retailer and home owners insurance and no one wants to cover the less than 1 year old pool. (Not to mention our loss of labor taking down an old one and possibly this one.)

My husband thinks if we fill it and with some pressure that he can push the wall back out. Is that safe to do? The liner doesn't seem to be damaged and the pool will be crinkled, but at 65 if it works and doesn't cost... I agree. I just hear stories of it letting go and not being safe etc. Your thoughts please!

Hi

The wall repair you suggest is very safe and it might even work. There is very little water pressure around the top of the pool, so most anything you do up there is safe. It is also possible to drain the water down to almost half way and remove a few top rails. By releasing the liner and getting in behind it, the dents can usually be hammered out.

It is not a good idea to release the skimmer, as that might be hard to align back up properly. But you might be able to get in close enough to it so that you could slide in a piece of plywood, or something that you could hammer against. The hammer could then be used on the outside of the pool. There should be no need for expensive repairs.

In the future, be sure to cap off your skimmer during the winter months. If water gets into the skimmer and freezes, just the slightest drop in the water level will pull that area down causing wall damage. The ice in the pool drops with the water level below it, the ice is now attached to the ice in the skimmer, so it all comes down.

Raised Post After Winter

by kim
(canada)

Hi, we have a 24 round pool. After the winter we are noticing that one of the posts has raised and now there is an inch or 2 gap between the top rail and the pool wall (if you look from the side).

I am hoping the post settles back down and right now the liner is still in. Will the pool need to be taken down and re-leveled? Is some heaving normal? The pool wall so far is not bent.

Hi Kim

It sounds like a little ground heave and that is pretty normal. I would wait until you are sure the ground has thawed before doing anything.

If the post is still high I would try to remove a little soil from underneath it with a screwdriver, if that is possible.

I would not drain the pool unless you were sure this was causing a problem. It probably won't but you need to make the call, unless you can repost this with photos so I can see exactly what is going on.

Top Plates on Oval Doughboy Pool Leaning

by Jim
(MN)

We have an 18 x 41 oval above ground pool with a deck all around it.

We put a new liner in it 2 years ago. Last year and more so this year, we noticed that the top plates are leaning out towards the deck. This is only on the long sides, not the ends.

Parts are leaning enough that the coping has come out. I also noticed a slight bulge towards the inside in one area. The pool only has about half the water in it now, as I just took the cover off of it.

What would cause this, how do I fix it. I did take some dirt out from under the bottom rail, thinking that it pushed up and that would relieve it. But it didn't.

Thank you, Jim, MN

Hi Jim It does appear that the ground is pushing the wall up. On the under side of the top plate is an L bracket designed to keep the caps level. These may have become bent or possibly even missing. You may just need to add more support in this area.

Ice damage - What to do next?

by Jennifer
(Clarkston, Michigan )

Hi!

I noticed this morning that my above ground pool has suffered some ice damage. I can see the wall is pulling away from the railing near the skimmer and there is a thick patch of ice on the opposite side of the pool near the bottom. I'm guessing the liner is leaking there.

I know your schedules fill up quickly so I wanted to get a head start on reaching out.

Thanks!

Jennifer

Hi Jennifer I just work in Arizona but it sounds like something you may want to have looked at.