Remove old vinyl patch?

[TravisD]

I finally found the leftover pieces from my liner install and want to use this material for patching holes in the future, however, I do have a few patches that I have installed that have turned white. My question is, is it possible to remove old patches from the liner? If so, how?
If old patches can't be or shouldn't be removed, is there any harm in putting a new patch that will match the liner over the white looking old patch?
Thanks!

 

[X-PertPool]

you can try to remove them, sometimes they come off easy sometimes they can get a little stuck and you risk tearing the hole larger. I would remove them if you can do so, if you can't remove the old patch try to cut off any sections of the old patch that are not laying flat then patch over it. I would just try to peel off the old patch by using your fingernail to work it off, I wouldn't recommend scraping at it with anything sharp

 

[fordman]

sometimes your better of not trying to fix something that isn't broke. If it is holding I would leave it be.

 

[Sparkmaster]

sometimes your better of not trying to fix something that isn't broke. If it is holding I would leave it be.

LOL, i could see me pulling my patch off the bottom of the pool and there goes all the water..

 

[TravisD]

Hehe! The patches that I want to take off are stuck on pretty good. I'm scared that the liner will come off with the patch leaving a bigger hole. I think I'll just patch over one and sees how it looks. Just a cosmetic thing anyway. I just don't like seeing the whit spots on the bottom.
Thanks guys, just wanted to make sure there wasn't some magical way to remove a patch, guess there isn't.

 

[X-PertPool]

I've had a patch make the whole bigger when trying to pull it off but it's not like it was unpatchable after I removed the patch, just make sure your liner isn't brittle to the point of cracking when attempting to remove it if you can. If the old patch is flat just patch over it.

 

[matt4x4]

Don't pull them off, just let mother nature break them down naturally - most cheap clear patches will break down in 3-5 years time, when you see it dangling there - it's time to replace it.
Also - unless you plan on putting a patch about 1.5" bigger in diameter - I would not put one over top.

What I find helps remember where all those clear and hard to find patches are is to draw out a patch diagram - draw a top view of the pool, uprights and pump location for reference - any that are on the wall, dot the drawn circle and note how far down the wall they are, any on the floor, dot inside the pool circle and draw an arrow from a bubble that notes measurements from 2 uprights at right angles to one another.
Hang this diagram in your pool house or on teh garage wall for easy reference.

 

[TravisD]

Thanks for the suggestions! However, my 3 patches aren't hard to spot at all. They have all turned white. I have decided to leave the old ones alone and use the liner material that I found for any new holes I might encounter.

 

[matt4x4]

once those white ones lift off and float away - you might have a different outlook on mapping them - white means they won't be sticking much longer til they are gone - maybe 1-2 years.

 

[TravisD]

Thanks matt. Mapping the holes is a great idea. I didn't even consider that I might lose track of them when they do come off.