Need advice on bullnose paver coping with steel wall and vinyl liner

[amyhlr]

Hi everyone! I'm new here, having learned a lot over the years on the pool forum on garden web. I have an oval 17x35 steel walled, cantilevered edge, vinyl lined pool with steps, which was built in 2004. (It was actually a rebuild because the original concrete deck was sinking, causing the polymer walls to buckle. We had to rip it out and start over.) We thought we had corrected the sinking problem by properly supporting the concrete and using steel walls. At the moment the pool walls are fine, but we are dealing with the concrete settling again. We decided to rip up the concrete (which is about 4-5 feet surrounding the pool) and replace with bullnose paver coping and concrete pavers. We are also replacing the liner, which is now 12 years old and has been slipping out of its track. We feel that by going with pavers, if the deck starts to sink again, it will be an easier fix to just pull up a few pavers and add some sand. We don't want to go through the process again!

Anyway, my question has to do with the way the bullnose pavers are affixed to the steel walls. My mason plans to lay concrete mortar, about 12 inches, and lay the pavers on top of it. The pool company will be applying a new aluminum extrusion when they replace the liner. Is wire mesh necessary in addition to the mortar?

Over the past month the liner has fallen into the pool and is sitting on the surface of the water in the deep end. The water level dropped over the winter and is very low. It fills the hopper, but is probably at the bottom of the walls, with maybe just a few inches in the shallow end. I'm concerned that the walls will cave in because I'm unable to fill the pool up. I tried, but the water must have gone behind the liner, because the level isn't increasing. The pool company cannot get here until 6/9 to replace the liner. When they come to measure I plan to ask them to at least try to put the liner back into the track so that I can add some water. Am I in big trouble here?

Thanks,
amyhlr

 

[gwegan]

Yes you can be in big trouble here. The wall depend on the mass of the water to support the dirt behind them so yes you do run the risk of collapse. I don't have any great solutions to offer.

You also have a problem of your deck sinking. I suspect that its water levels changing and each time the deck sinks there is more soil compaction in the first few feet.

The Coping paving installer MUST put some kind of metal mesh under the first three feet of deck (pavers) around the pool and connect the mesh to the pool bonding system. If he looks at you funny when you say that you need an electrician to do it. Its a required and important safety feature. when things are dug up you should visually inspect the pool bonding system to make sure its all still there and connected especially the water bond and light niche connections.

Stone coping on a liner pool is always interesting because you have to choose the correct mortar to bond with the top if the pool walls and you need a large enough surface area for the bond to actually hold. Talk to your coping guy about what he is using. Has he done this before?

 

[amyhlr]

Yes, he has done many copings before, but I think mostly on concrete pools. This is the first time our water level has fallen this low, and the liner dropped only in the last few weeks. When I pulled back the cover at the end of March just to show the pool to the reps coming to give estimates, the liner was pulling away from the track, but still fully at the appropriate height. I guess I should have added water at that point. The only reason why I didn't was because I knew I'd be replacing the liner and thought it was silly to add water when the pool was going to be drained shortly. Stupid mistake on my part. I will tell the mason he has to use wire mesh. We are planning on having an electrician come to run some wiring for a pole lamp, so I'll inquire about who needs to place the wire mesh. There is no mesh under there now, but the pool light and railings were all grounded back in 2004.
Thanks so much for your help!!

amyhlr

 

[gwegan]

They were probably bonded not grounded, its a subtle but important difference. Your location may not have required the deck be bonded in 2004, it almost certainly does now.