Lost 5,000 gallons and liner floated big time -- what to do?

[kirbinster]

HELP! A pipe broke last night and my 20x40 IG vinyl pool lost about 5,000 gallons of water and the liner has floated big time. At first I thought the bottom collapsed in the shallow end as the floor was uneven by about a foot, but then I saw that it was the liner that was up by about a foot on the left half of the shallow end. In the deep end it appears to be away from the wall by almost three feet. I've started added in water, but am not sure what to do to reseat the liner correctly. Will adding water just push it back where it should be? There is both air and water behind it now. I have a sump under the deep end that I can pump the water out using the main pump. I am wondering if I should fill the pool totally before doing that, or only partly fill it and then pump the water out to suck the liner back down. Ideas please

 

[kirbinster]

Well in the deep end the liner was more than 5' away from the walls at the bottom. I bit the bullet and turned the pump for the sump to suck the water out behind the liner. It took me about three hours pumping and using a brush on a pole to push the liner back down. I was concerned since the liner is 10 or 11 years old. But after three hours of hard work the liner is back in place, and even the few wrinkles that were previously there are now gone. It look like it was just installed for the first time now. Wow am I glad I have that sump under the pool.

 

[Butterfly]

Sorry to hear about your troubles, but very happy things seem to have worked out great! :-D