Rusted pool wall, want to leave up to protect foundation

[Wntrequinx]

So my liner has a bunch of leaks (I think it was too big depth and the prior owners glued it to the pool walls about 6 inches from the bottom - its got a wierd horizontal wrinkle there, and when I look behind it it's stuck to the wall at regular intervals...) and the wall has rusted and has a couple of small holes near the bottom.

I drained it to an inch or so to look behind the liner and see how rusted it is, and it's bad enough I don't want to use the pool or try to repair the walls.

That said, I don't want to buy a new pool now and put it up before fall, even an intex one is still a pretty chunk of cash to have it sit unused.

I'd like to leave this pool up until next year, with as little water in it as possible (right now its like 4 inches of green, because of storms that came after I got it just about empty), but I'm trying to figure out what's involved with not closing a pool/how little water can I leave in it safely...

The more water I put in, the more stress on the rusted wall, and anything over 6 or 7 inches is above the line of leaks, and that means water flowing over the rusted part.

Is 6 or 7 inches enough to give some support to the walls against wind? Should I plan on treating the couple inches with chlorine regularly?

Should I get a mesh cover, or not bother if I'm going to be trashing it in the spring, anyway? I'm concerned about letting it turn into leaf soup and just draining the sludge later? But I'm also not sure no water is good for putting even a mesh cover on it...

Images: one with lowest water was how drained i got it before rain (white is the bottom), more green water is it today, and the other picture is the rusty spots from the outside...

 

[Texas Splash]

Is 6 or 7 inches enough to give some support to the walls against wind?

Doubtful if you get good winds in your area, and it certainly rules out a cover. Perhaps you can find a way to rig-up some inner supports to span across from one side to the other as a temp measure?

 

[newdude]

Perhaps you can find a way to rig-up some inner supports to span across from one side to the other as a temp measure?

I like this alot. Make a + out of 2x4s and screw through a 2x4 scrap on the outside of the pool wall, through the pool wall to the 4 points of the + frame. If it still flexes a good deal you may need more braces like a wagon wheel.


Any reason you can't just take it down now ? Seems silly to try so hard to save it, just to destroy it in the spring. A Sawzall will make quick work of it.

Either way, when the time comes, Milwaukee makes 'axe' blades for the Sawzall that are 5x thicker and take alot more stress. They are much harder to break so they are worth the higher price.

 

[Wntrequinx]

I could take it down, but then the landscaping rocks will fall into the space where the pool is and whatever is under the pool will be exposed to rain, etc

I dont care if the walls bend/break, more worried about the underneath getting ruined/ having a ton of swamp water to drain before we take it all the way down in the spring.