Talked to the Green Monster's owner tonight, as they have done nothing with the slime pit since returning from vacation. They were sitting out in their driveway watching the world go by, so I asked what their plan was for GM. Wife says they are going to get a new liner put in at the end of August and cover it for the winter. Husband admitted he hasn't contracted with anyone for a new liner yet, but he "has to call around this week to get something lined up". Of course the city, county, and TASD have also done nothing regarding this mess. I'm guessing 6 to 8 weeks to get a 16x32x8 liner ordered and made. I'm betting the thing doesn't get fixed this year at all.
The Green Monster Next Door...
- Thread starter jamis
- Start date
Was out in the pool today with the grandkids and saw a guy from one of the local pool companies walk in the backyard next door. I saw him mouth "Oh My God" when he looked into the open maw of the Green Monster. The liner has begun to tear horizontally across the tile pattern area now. He took some measurements and then went and sat in his truck for awhile. Hopefully this means this swamp is going to actually get fixed this year. Not holding my breath though.
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I don't have a vinyl pool, but I hear it can be more costly to allow water to get behind the liner. I would have been cheaper for him to replace the liner when it needed it instead of after allow water behind the liner. He might have additional costs in addition to the liner.
Pools like this are dangerous. If someone fell in and drowned you would never see them. Within the last couple of year a woman drowned in a public pool and it was so filthy her body remained there for I believe days before it was discovered. I thought I read a few years ago about a proposed law that stated if a pool was kept like this for over a certain amount of time it had to be drained and hard covered.
The bottom is sand on that pool. Sand bottoms always have to be redone, or reshaped, to fit the new liner's shape. It's not usually a big issue, just two or three hours of trowel work before they drop the new liner in if the shape is different. Worst case is they have to dig out the very bottom of the deep end hopper and put a couple of feet of drainage gravel in to keep ground water out of the sand until they can get the pool filled with water. The water table is normally about 8 - 9 feet down here. The owner's biggest issue will be dealing with the ant problem that caused his four year old liner to go bad in the first place. If he had been treating for them (about $30/yr), he likely wouldn't be in the position of having to replace the liner now. Brings to mind the old adage "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Anyways, we'll see if this thing gets fixed this year anyway. September will be the one year anniversary of the problem.
I bet the news crew may have been interested in the mosquito breeding ground you're dealing with when they were imploring folks to get rid of standing water! Neighbors wouldn't have been happy, but they should be ashamed of themselves
The base of my vinyl pool is poolcrete. And I bet if left like this thing it would destroy that base. And it is not like just throwing in some sand and spreading it around. It is cement mixer, finishing concrete.
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I was rethinking my response earlier about fixing the sand bottom of the Green Monster. This pool has been seeping algae filled water under the liner for nearly a year now. The sand of the shallow end and the hopper in the deep end have got to be completely saturated with this stuff. Not being a liner installation expert, I am thinking the remediation of this pool will require the removal of the existing sand bottom and replacement with new sand. A much more expensive fix than just a liner replacement.
FWIW, I am closing our pool tomorrow for the season early. I'm tired of the extra time and cost to keep the algae in check than what is normal.
FWIW, I am closing our pool tomorrow for the season early. I'm tired of the extra time and cost to keep the algae in check than what is normal.
Well, the pool company that was out on the 18th came in with way too high of a bid and some no-name outfit is to do the job now for $2,100 plus $170 for water. Neighbor claims that this guy can get a liner for his 16x32x8 IG with 6" radius corners in a week, so we'll see what results from this latest go round. I'm stocking up on ant killer to spread along the lot line whenever the Green Monster gets put to rest.
n240sxguy
Well-known member
You have to truck in water in Ohio? Also, what's this about ants eating through a liner? I've never heard that before. Is it a specific kind of ant you guys have up there?
Water choices in Toledo.
1. Fill from your hose and pay sewage charges on the water your meter records (about three times the water charge).
2. Get a hydrant meter from the city and pay just for the water it records, but it's a huge hassle and most pool companies don't do it anymore.
3. Truck the water in and pay a flat fee for it. I paid $140 three years ago to fill my pool when the new liner got put in.
The ant thing appears to be largely unknown here. I lost my liner to them three years ago during a very hot, dry summer. They went down to the base of the sidewalls, tunneled under the 1' x 2' bond beam and nibbled little pin holes in the liner to get moisture. My pool company had never experienced it and all they could find with their equipment was a bunch of small holes. Only when we pulled the old liner out did we see the ants and their trails under the walls and llner. I dumped 5 bags of ant killer in the sand around the base of the walls before the pool guys dropped the new liner in. I also have treated the perimeter of the deck 3 times a year with ant killer to keep them at bay. Too bad the neighbor didn't follow my advice and do the same.
n240sxguy
Well-known member
Does the water company not give you an exemption in any case? In my area if you are gonna use a ton of water, like filling a pool, or if you had a line break, they will just use an average of your past usage for the sewer charge instead of going by your actual water usage that month.
That's sucks about the ants. I would be ****** if stupid ants destroyed my liner.
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That's sucks about the ants. I would be ****** if stupid ants destroyed my liner.
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No exemption. They claim they don't have the manpower to record your meter before/after and won't take your word. My liner was a year old when the ants trashed it. Now I spend at least $30/year for the Terro ant killer to prevent it from happening again.
n240sxguy
Well-known member
That's a shame about the water company and the new liner. $30 sounds like a good insurance policy.
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The pool company came yesterday evening and put a pump in the bottom of the deep end and then came back this morning to finish the job. They started at 7:30AM this morning and by 4:00PM they had the new liner in with the vac pump sucking out the air behind the liner. The installer was complaining about the amount of work they had to do on the sand bottom. It seems that no one told him about the condition of the GM prior to today and he was expecting to be done with the liner by 10:00AM. They put two bags of PoolKrete and a bag of concrete in the hopper bottom. Given the way our ground moves here, I'm wondering how well that will work in the future. The water tanker showed up shortly thereafter and filled the deep end hopper ($170 worth). I think he got taken for the water. The owner has two garden hoses running to fill the rest of the pool with city water from his house. Should be filled by tomorrow. He says he's going to cover the pool tomorrow and we should be cesspool free now. Only took a year.
As long as it's fixed who cares what the liner looks like or their construction technique? As long as it is no longer a GM, count it as a win. It does suck that you had to fight with the PO and the city for so long to get what should have been a no brainer situation rectified.
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