Low Water Level in Winterized Pool

[rileys_dad]

Hi,

I hope someone can help with this problem, because I feel like a real idiot , and I'm really stressed about it. I have an inground, Vinyl liner pool that has been winterized. We've recently had quite a bit of rain and I put a small pump in the pool to keep the water level below the top of the liner. I left it plugged in for about 4 hours and then unplugged the pump thinking I'd just run it a few hours a day until the water was at the correct level. Well I just checked today and my water level is down about 2 1/2 feet. The pump apparently started a siphoning effect after I unplugged it, because it was still taking water out of my pool after a week! There is now only about 4" of water in the shallow end , and the Liner looks like heck with all the wrinkles. I'm really concerned about it because when I was building the pool, the book said it was very important to add water while backfilling so that there was equal pressure on the walls. The last thing I need right now is for the walls to cave in because there is no water pressure holding it back.

Does anyone know if I should fill it right away, or not worry about it until the spring. I have to believe with the temps in the 30's or 40's, that the liner wouldn't be flexible right now. So if I were to fill it back up, how would I get rid of the wrinkles?

Any help anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated. I've come to the conclusion that this is a mistake you only make once in your life.

Thanks.

 

[JohnT]

I'd fill it now. You can always drain again in the spring to work on wrinkles.

 

[waste]

First welcome to TFP!!

Second, I doubt that the liner has been ruined or will be by this, however - you may have a wrinkle or 2 that will always be there 4" in the shallow end is enough to keep the floor wrinkle-free, but if you get a lot of rain or the ground 'heaves' behind the walls, you may have some real trouble I think John's right to get the water level up at least another 2 feet. Side wall wrinkles aren't 1/2 the problem that floor wrinkles are

I'm assuming you don't have a cover on the pool? Anyway, in the future, tie a rope to the pump and suspend it so that it's only down ~ 1'. Doing this prevents overdraining via siphoning AND protects the liner from the pump itself (sometimes the bottom grate on a submersible pump will fail and the pump can suck the liner into the impeller and 'chew' a hole in it - which would leave you in a worse place than you are now).

I'm VERY sorry that this happened :!: If I can be of help in the spring in helping you to remove the wrinkles - I will tell you everything I know about getting them out or resetting the liner (I do liner pools for a living, so I might know a trick or 2 that would help )

Again, welcome to this forum and please feel free to ask of us any question you may have in the future!! :-D

 

[rileys_dad]

Thanks for the info, and the welcome.

I got a safety cover for the pool this year, which may have been part of my problem since I couldn't see the water level going down. I'm going to call for the water truck tomorrow. The temps are supposed to be in the upper 40's or low 50's over the next few days. I'll do the best I can to remove the wrinkles.

I may definitely be hitting you up again in the spring. Thanks again.