Deer in pool ??

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WestSidePool

WestSidePool

0
Jun 14, 2009
424
Cincinnati, OH
Welp my worst fear came true this morning.
Being fall here in Ohio we have many deer in the area.

Our safety cover just arrived yesterday evening and it was going to be installed today.

This morning we were getting ready to head out to clean and prep the pool for closing, when we saw the solar cover was all bunched up, and that it had many holes in it. Water was splashed all over the pool decking, and you can see "brush marks" in the shallow end where it looked like hoofs or something were.

We assume it was a deer, but no big animal was to be found in the pool.

How do i determine if there is now one or many holes in my pool liner, and what would be my next steps?
 
If you don't see any obvious cuts or scuff marks just wait and see if the water level goes down quicker than evaporation over the next few days. If you can't wait get a large container of red food coloring and put a couple of drops at any suspicious looking areas and watch to see if they are sucked into the liner. This will involve getting into the pool to check areas well below water line.
 
Yeah, the liner is past patching...i had marked the skimmer with tape at 11:30am yesterday morning.
The water level at that time was about 3/4 of the way up to the top of the skimmer.

I went out this morning and there is no water entering the skimmers now.

So i'm seeing this as a very fast leak(s)

We have a 4 foot high fence around our entire yard, and there is not food on the trees in our yard that would attract them..but our neighbors trees have food on them that drop...
So i'm not really sure why they would hop the fence for no food.

As for repelling deer i'm going to have to research, since they have only been noticeable now in the fall season.
 
Something probably scared it to cause it to jump over your fence. Any hunters in the area, legal or otherwise? I have heard that urine will keep deer away. Human urine (free!) or you can purchase predator urine to repel deer and other animals. I have not used it myself so I can't swear by it. If you Google predator urine you will get all kinds of results! At least you didn't come out to find the deer still struggling to get out of the pool. :(
 
Deer can be fairly unpredictable critters, and what repels them in one area may not bother them at all somewhere else, but the best repellent I've heard of is made from egg whites. I've seen Forest Service Rangers use egg whites to keep deer from eating young trees, and folks have mixed it with water, milk, and who-knows-what-else in various recipes to repel deer for years.
 

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I am a property and casualty insurance agent.
Be aware that you will still have to meet your deductible. Whether $500.00 or $1,000.00, it may not be worth filing a claim over since you could be surcharged for a claim. Since the liner is new, you shouldn't have much depreciation, so you can figure you MAY get close to full replacement cost for this liner. The way I am looking at it is that if your new liner runs $1,000.00 and the installer charges $500.00 to install, then your total claim will be only $1500.00. Subtract your deductible from your estimates and weigh the consequenses of seeing an icrease in premium at renewal with a homeowners insurance claim. Most companies see a claim as a claim no matter how little they pay, it can still impact your rate and over the next 5 years and you could end up paying them more in surcharges than what they paid you for your liner problem. :rant: I know that some of the companies I represent will not surcharge if you have carried your policy for 5 years without incedent. My advice is to use caution when you decide to have your insurance take care of this. It is an aggravating position to be in - I know, but I just wanted to give you a heads up on how this could go for you in the long run.
 
Well the same company who installed my pool in June quoted me for a new liner, install and repair work if needed, which came out to be about 3,800 to complete.

So I think its worth my deductible for them to replace it for me. Especially since it keeps draining at a decent rate, and since the deer was all over the pool (shallow to deep end) i am unable to pinpoint each and every hole/tear that it put in it. :rant:

And i don't really see this as being a problem with my insurance and i dont believe my premiums are going to go up much if at all on this.
 
If and when the liner is replaced and the pool is filled back up, do i need to get my chemical levels back in balance before closing for the winter, or would it be alright without.

I'm asking because were starting to get below 40 degree weather at nights, and i have yet to winterize my plumbing.
 
I was just trying to give you some friendly advice from a person who actually cares about their clients after the sell of my product. You should do what you think will work out best for you in the long run. I live in Hattiesburg Mississippi and when hurricaine Katrina tore everything up from Gulfport to Jackson, most of our pool claims were related to trees falling in pools and ripping the liner. In the hurricaine Katrina case, their homes were also wrecked so it was a "no brainer" that the pool damage be included on the claim (one deductible for multiple damages). Most of our insurance cliams related to hurricaine Katrina were upwards of $200,000.00. Devistating to the insurance industry, but we must deliver on our promises. Swimming pools are covered under the "other structures" coverage on your homeowners insurance policy. Typically, the value for other strucutres defaults to 10% of the dwelling limit. In cases where my clients have a swimming pool or work shop on the property, I will suggest to increase the coverage for this portion of the policy because of the value of those structures exceeds 10% of the dwelling limit(dependeing on the home replacement value). Even though a liner replacement may cost less than 10%, a collapse would cost considerably more. Just wanted to give you a heads up... :goodjob:
 
WestSidePool said:
If and when the liner is replaced and the pool is filled back up, do i need to get my chemical levels back in balance before closing for the winter, or would it be alright without.

I'm asking because were starting to get below 40 degree weather at nights, and i have yet to winterize my plumbing.
Click to expand...

Yes. You need to make sure the PH and TA are in range, add a minimal amount of CYA and then raise it to shock level and then winterize. You need circulation to balance the water with the appropriate chems.

You could go ahead and test the fill water (your tap?) now while your waiting on the insurance company/liner install. That way you know what to expect, if any balancing will be needed.

If you were to close with your ph out of range you risk damage to the new liner. :wink:

If your fill water is in range and all you need is chlorine, you can go ahead and winterize the plumbing and then use a portable submersible pump (rental even) to circulate the water when adding chlorine.

Hope this helps. :wave:
 
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