Replacing Liner on Old Pool - Replace Cove?

[kendog2]

Hello,
We have an old steel doughboy style 15 x 30 x 48" pool. We are replacing the 10-year-old liner and coping strips. Should we also replace the cove? The cove is very flattened down so it seems like an obvious no-brainer to replace it now that we have access to it. However, the new cove will cost at least $75. I'm wondering if it really makes a difference or if the new cove will become as flat as the old cove as soon as it is under the pressure of 10,000 gallons of water? We're on a tight budget so if it's a waste of money, I would prefer not to buy new cove. Any advice would be much appreciated.

The old pool liner was leaking and caused the wall to rust in some areas. Should we reinforce the rusted areas with patches of new sheet metal? If so, would covering the sharp edges with Gorilla tape be enough to protect the liner? Would it be better to leave the rusty walls as-is? We live in a very dry desert climate. (2 - 6" of rain per year.)

 

[Mdragger88]

You definitely need a functional cove, it is what keeps the liner from escaping under the wall.
It can be sand or foam.
The rusty areas need to be treated, not just reinforced - rust never sleeps.
Sanded/ roughed up, use a rust converter, then coated with a rustoleum paint.
Any weak areas should also be reinforced.

Let’s call @zea3 & see what she thinks. Is this repairable?

 

[Mdragger88]

For context- here’s what can go wrong

RIP Rusty Vogue Pool

I'm writing this post to document the demise of my AGP in August 2017. I noticed the rust when the pool was 6 years old, and it failed 5 years later. My Vogue pool was installed in 2006. This photo is a couple of years later, but notice how straight the fence on the side is at this time. The...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[kendog2]

Thank you so much, Mdragger88.
I realize that we need a functional cove. It does seem to be functional as we have never had a problem with the liner coming out under the wall.. I would be willing to replace it if necessary. I just wonder if a new cove would flatten just as much within days or weeks of being under the water pressure. I like to do things right. Just don't want to waste money if a new cove won't be any better than the old one. Maybe we should build a sand cove on top of the existing foam cove?

We will repair the rusted wall as you suggested. The rust is due to the old liner leaking. My husband was not able to patch it successfully. Otherwise, rust is nearly unheard of in our area. It hardly ever rains here so rust probably would sleep. The poster who lost his pool lived in a much rainier climate.

Is wall foam a good idea? I've read varying opinions. Some seem to think that the foam makes the liner more likely to puncture.

 

[Mdragger88]

I can’t tell if u already have wall foam or not by the pics - if u do, might as well reuse it but be sure to inspect behind it.
I would replace the cove with my $$ before I bought wall foam though. Wall foam is really about personal preference just like foam on the bottom. I feel like both probably protect the liner some from the wall bolts/seams rubbing & the ground (rocks coming up & such). Vinyl Liners are pretty tough- if u are doing something that would puncture it, it would probably happen whether foam was involved or not.
Adding a sand cove may cost the same as a new foam one. YMMV. Reusing the old one is ok if it’s still sticks in place with no gaps.
I wish i would have had a foam cove installed - it wasn’t an option, my installers would only do sand cove & sand base. My sand cove has shifted in spots & there are wrinkles there now. When my liner gets replaced I will go with foam - they are supposed to be less prone to that. For $75 , that’s $7.50 a year if it lasts 10 yrs. Not much coin in the grand scheme of things considering it’s function.

 

[kendog2]

No we don't have wall foam. I agree that the cove is much more important. I was hoping that wall foam would help keep the water temperature warmer, extending our swimming season as well as offering extra protection for the liner. We have foam on the floor. We are very glad we installed the floor foam. The floor seems to be lifting now that the pool is empty. I don't know if it would be all right to re-use it. We cannot afford to replace it but I would never be willing to do without floor foam.

Sadly, you were correct. Upon closer inspection, we discovered that the damage from the rust is much worse than we thought. If we had refilled the pool, I'm sure it would have soon failed just as described in the RIP Rusty Pool post. Several of our bottom rails and the lower part of one post are completely rusted away. This is an old Sears pool from the 80's or 90's. I found some replacement rails online but don't know if they would fit our pool. My husband wondered if we could replace the damaged part of the wall with sheets of 4 x 8' galvanized metal sheeting. Has anyone else ever tried this?

We will do some research into the cost of repairs but it looks like we may have to give up on having a pool for this year.

 

[Mdragger88]

Sad news but better safe than sorry. That pool is almost as old as me. That’s a pretty good run for an above ground pool.
You are better off just replacing the entire pool if the wall is compromised. They are a rolled continuous piece for integrity reasons. The cost of a replacement wall is almost equal to the cost of a new pool.
I suggest that u leave the ground covered with the foam (maybe weigh it down) to preserve the site so when u are ready to put up another pool it won’t be as much work.
If u are into diy’ing the whole thing the pool factory has affordable options & good customer service.
They also have completely resin options (walls & all) so rust won’t ever be an issue.

Alternatively, for a somewhat temporary & cost effective option- many people are quite happy with their intex style pools. If your current equipment is functional you can use it with one instead of the undersized pump/filter they often come with. There’s lots of threads here on that. Many people leave them up year round, winterize them & have them for several years.