Steel wall collapse

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A

Amelia14

Bronze Supporter
May 3, 2022
13
Texas
Pool Size
5000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
Good morning y’all! It’s been a while since I’ve had any pool trouble. I was having my liner replaced. The pool company drained it about 10ft away, uphill. It’s partially buried, not even 2ft. Since they drained it uphill, it all ran into the pool and my wall collapsed. Will this affect the structural integrity of the steel wall? They said they can get it back up, but I’m worried that it’ll cause issues sooner rather than later. Do pool companies ever take responsibility and reimburse for issues like this? The company that I had install it was extremely shady. I’m hoping these guys are better. What do y’all think? Thank you!

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I think you will be buying a new pool soon. But you might as well let those idiots try and put your pool back up and see how long it lasts. Just keep an eye on it and drain it before it collapses if it begins to get off level. The walls are going to be weaker.
 
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ajw22 said:
I think you will be buying a new pool soon. But you might as well let those idiots try and put your pool back up and see how long it lasts. Just keep an eye on it and drain it before it collapses if it begins to get off level. The walls are going to be weaker.
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Thanks for the input. I’ve had zero luck with pool companies since buying it a few years ago
 
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I don’t know if anyone is still going to read this thread, but here is the collapsed wall back up. The owner of the pool company is trying to convince me that it’s still as safe as before and I’m guessing will ask for payment for the liner change. I don’t feel like it’s safe for my little kids to swim in. What do you think? I’m relatively new to the pool world so I don’t know if I should just accept it and pay him.
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Keep an eye on the crumpled areas of the wall. Make sure there are no scratches or chips in the paint that may start to rust in the future. If you see any bare metal touch it up with a rust inhibiting paint.
Also check and make sure the bottom of the wall is seated in the bottom track all the way around. There should not be any areas where the wall is not seated in the bottom track.
 
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I'd hit the inside of the wall with a paint roller. You might be able to smooth it out more by going left/right enough times while applying medium pressure.

FWIW, I would not accept this

Go kick as much dent in the driver door of his personal car, then tell him 'it's not that bad'. This isn't your friend who was helping you for free. You paid a company and they broke your stuff due to ignorance.
 
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Just catching up on your thread. So sorry this happened to you! I am angry for you!
But unfortunately things do happen sometimes.
Did they come off of the cost at all? I would have at least expected that.
We’ve seen worse walls still be ok - it doesn’t look like you have any major creases which is good 👍🏻
You do have some weaker points now though. Although I wouldn’t say it’s unsafe. It’s unsightly.
Definitely keep an eye on it to make sure the top & bottom of the wall remains in the tracks.
I wouldn’t recommend that anyone put pressure on the top rails (sitting or standing) or kick off the walls - but that’s really not something one should do in an above ground pool anyway. We have a rule at my house that if you must step/sit on the rail it should only be on top of a post (upright). I always center my steps on an upright for this reason as that’s where its most likely to occur. In your case I would ensure the entry/exit is not in this area to avoid any issues.
 
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Mdragger88 said:
Did they come off of the cost at all? I would have at least expected that.
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Over the phone he told me that they usually charge more when a wall collapses 🤦‍♀️ The owner is coming next week to take a look, so that’s when I’m going to fight tooth and nail to not pay full price.

My son has a habit of kicking off the wall. I’m really going to have to drill it in his brain that the wall will collapse and we’re all going to drown if he does it haha.
 
Thanks for all the reassurance y’all! You have made me become a bronze supporter! Even with the reassurance that it will most likely be fine, I still may try to dig a swale and build a berm to try to redirect the water away from my lovely neighbor’s yard in case it does fall. Good thing about it being partially buried is that only half of it will drain! Yay! 😅
 
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To give you a little more reassurance…Caveat - I am not an above ground service guy but handle IG commercial and residential. Last year had a desperate homeowner that drained his pool to fix an algae problem. He sadly didn’t realize the risks and collapsed his pool. He was desperate and I was the only service company that didn’t run away. They were a good family and his plight pulled at my heartstrings. We talked and he knew my position and that I couldn’t guarantee it would be saveable. In the end got them back together and the pool is working fine. He called the other day for spring opening advice. From my experience if it was going to fail you would have seen it when refilling as the liner pulls tension downward on the walls. Horizontal creases that run parallel to the ground will collapse when that happens (ask me how I know). I used a weighted carpet roller to smooth his walls as much as possible where they were creased before filling, when filling, and after it was full. Keep an eye on it going forward as you’re already planning to do.

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Amelia14 said:
Over the phone he told me that they usually charge more when a wall collapses 🤦‍♀️ The owner is coming next week to take a look, so that’s when I’m going to fight tooth and nail to not pay full price.

My son has a habit of kicking off the wall. I’m really going to have to drill it in his brain that the wall will collapse and we’re all going to drown if he does it haha.
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I hope this is a case of the owner having a terrible sense of humor and not him trying to pull a fast one on a female. His people improperly drained your pool and caused damage, they should compensate you. Even if the pool is functional now you are at a higher risk of rust intrusion at the creases and it is not as aesthetically pleasing as it once was. He doesn't owe you a brand new pool but he does owe you something.
 
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zea3 said:
His people improperly drained your pool and caused damage
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This.
zea3 said:
they should compensate you.
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THIS. Not discounted labor to fix it. Free. F. R. E. E.


zea3 said:
you are at a higher risk of rust intrusion at the creases
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THIS THIS THIS. They will be long gone in a year when the rust starts.
zea3 said:
doesn't owe you a brand new pool but he does owe you something.
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+1. $1000 towards your next pool is probably fair, on top of zero charges. You'll likely be lucky to only get their previous service for free. They will likely push for something insulting instead.
 
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