Ice Damage on my Brand New Pool

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V

vCoSmOv

0
Feb 25, 2014
12
Central Jersey
Hello All. I just bought and installed a 24ft round last July (first pool). I live in New Jersey and this winter has been unforgiving. I noticed over the weekend (we had spring weather) that my pool cover was sinking in and at the same time that the water level was lower from when i closed the pool for the winter. I took a walk around the pool to inspect and found that my wall had buckled under my skimmer.

I am devastated, the pool is not even a year old and all winter long all my family and I dream about is being able to get back in. Is this repairable? Homeowners insurance will not cover the damage, same as with manufacturer.

The skimmer is cracked which of course caused the leak which in turn caused the ice to shift and pull the skimmer in towards the pool. From what I can see the liner doesn't appear to be damaged. Will I be able to simply remove the skimmer, push out the wall and install a new skimmer?

Oh the noodles are in the skimmer because an acquaintance who happens to be a pool guy told me to stuff them in there to prevent freezing.

Thanks in advance for any help / suggestions.

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Welcome to TFP.

It might be possible to remove the liner and straighten it up enough to be usable. You may have to put a piece of sheet metal over the area on the inside to help hold it in place once you've straightened it as much as possible.

Worse case scenario is that you have to replace the wall.
 
Welcome, sorry to see that.

I agree with Bama it ought to be repairable. There's a website call shadebuilder.com the guy there has repaired lots worse.
 
Good news is, if you can pop it back out and stiffen it up with some sheet metal, replace the skimmer-------water pressure will be from the INside. Good luck. I'd sure take a shot at it.
 
Ouch! I feel your pain! My family loves our pool too and after this brutal winter, which it seems is not yet finished, I'm a bit fearful of pulling off the cover this Spring.

I would think you could probably salvage your pool. Just be sure that it is supported and stable... don't want it buckling when people are in it.
 
zea3 said:
Was the pool winterized when you covered it?
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Thank you all for the Welcomes and feedback.

It was my first closing, I did some research on this site as well as others and believe I took the necessary precautions before closing as per all the info I gathered. Some advice from my neighbors and a "pool guy" that I know as well.

Basically I made sure all my levels were on point, went down to the local Lowes and bought any pool closing products that were recommended for the winter and that was that.

I dont believe there was anything else I could have done to keep it from freezing. Is there? Thanks.

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pwrstrk said:
Sorry to see that. You've gotten some good ideas on a fix. Did the the top track get damaged in that spot ? Keep us posted on how this turns out.
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The top track doesnt appear to be damaged at this point. Once it warms up a bit I'm going to remove some of the railings to get a better look. Again I'm a novice so I cant really be sure of what I am seeing. And while in my head it seems like an easy fix I think I'll call up the installers in the spring and see how they feel about doing this repair.
 

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When you covered the pool, did you have the tension line of the cover under the skimmer box? The reason why I'm asking is because a local pool company I have on my FB had a customer who did this and the wall around the skimmer looks like this but much worse.
 
Wow, I'm so sorry about the damage to your new pool. I always drain the water below my skimmer and jets when I winterize. I also drain all of the lines, filter and pump completely. I think the damage to the wall can be repaired. Your pool, liner and skimmer look just like mine, I think they might be the same brand. On mine the service wall where the skimmer attaches is a separate, stainless steel piece and is not part of the continuous wall that goes around the rest of the pool. Is yours made like that? If so it sure would make it easier and less costly to replace that piece if you have to. The OEM skimmers can be purchased on eBay for much less than anywhere else. I saw them last week when I ordered a new basket for mine. If I remember correctly the whole unit was less than $40.00. Feel free to message me if you need help finding it. Good luck to you. Let us know how your repair goes.
 
Over a year later on this response but yes I had a friend with a little "pool know how" come over after he had me drain the pool about foot lower than the skimmer. He removed the rails in that section, drop the liner a bit and banged it out as best he could. Replaced the skimmer and good to go. We had a great summer with our pool last summer with no issues in regards to this winter damage.

I did learn from my mistakes and lowered the water to just under the skimmer and return jet and also installed a skimmer plate as an extra precaution prior to closing. My skimmer did eventually catch water and froze at some point this past winter but from what I can see the only thing that cracked was that one part on the bottom that screws into the skimmer and connects the hose. Easily replaceable with a couple of dollars. And yes I did remove all hoses prior to closing but another thing I learned was to bring it all inside for the winter. I had to replace all my hoses last summer because I left them in my pool trunk and they froze and cracked. DUH.

I also lifted my cover the other day to see whats doing and man that water is crystal clear and smells heavenly. Cant wait to open it up.
 
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