Found a piece of gravel under vinyl liner

[aeromorris05]

I was fooling around in the deep (7ft) end of the pool last night when I noticed a small irregularity in the surface at the bottom between the main drains. I'm 99.9% convinced its a 1/2" to 3/4" piece of gravel. Unfortunately it's got a pretty sharp point sticking up and it's just a matter of time until it punctures the liner. There's no foot traffic at this location but our Polaris 280 will drive over it about a billion times so I'm sure it's gonna need fixing. I actually found a total of 3 stones however the other 2 are smaller than a pea and are relatively smooth. Pool bottom is vermiculite. I know the walls and steps have 1/8" foam padding but I can't tell on the bottom as I suspect water pressure may have completely compressed any foam.

I plan to call my builder Tuesday morning after Memorial Day and I'm under the assumption that since this is a "build flaw" he should come out and fix it free of charge. Is this an unrealistic expectation. What's the going rate for a repair like this. I could probably fix it in 5min with a vinyl patch and a cheap Snuba unit but I digress. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Isaac-1]

I am just not sure what sort of "fix" you expect, I doubt they would replace the whole liner for a bit of gavel that may one day wear through the liner. They might cut it out and place a patch there, but why patch before you need to, who knows with it in the deep end it may outlast the liner.

 

[aeromorris05]

Yeah, I guess I wasn't specific. The fix I was alluding to would be a small incision to remove the stone and a ~1" blue or clear circular vinyl patch. I'm not sure what rate it would leak at when it finally ruptures but I don't want the burden of having to check it. It would kinda suck to leave it there and for water to be slowly saturating the ground around the pool. Again, I'm just kinda thinking out loud.

Note: I'd never expect a brand new liner or for the entire pool to be drained and liner reinstalled because of a single stone. I'm not that guy.

 

[Melt In The Sun]

I think your little incision plan is the right way to go if you want to patch it now.

 

[Isaac-1]

In my experience over the last 30+ years living with a vinyl liner pool, glue on patches are only good for about 5 years before they start peeling up around the edges, with care a liner can last 10 years or more. This is why I suggest waiting for a problem before patching.

 

[BadOleRoss]

If the stone is not a problem by itself and the only concern in the stone poking a hole in the liner.....why not place a patch over the stone without removing it to increases the thickness of the liner offering some protection. Ideally, I like the incision idea as well.

 

[prjohnson]

I had one under my old liner that was there for five years that I know of, but we suspected the liner to be 10 + years old. I just replaced the liner last month & we found about half a dozen very small leaks & none came from where the gravel was. I understand where you're coming from though. I'd make a point to tell people not to step where it was & would swim down often to check it out. When the guys were out removing the old liner, I couldn't wait to get in there & pull that pesky piece up.

 

[swimcmp]

Putting an incision in a vinyl liner intentionally is a really bad idea, best to wait till fall before you winterize if you do that where you are drain enough water to get under and remove. Just mho but we have been doing vinyl for 30 years.

 

[thadius65]

I'm sorry, but having been part of my grandparents pool company crew we took great care in avoiding this. I am hearing/seeing to much of this lately. A very thorough inspection prior to liner drop could avoid a great deal of this and when working wrinkles out, if any found it could be addressed prior to completion. I am not "that guy" either, but just putting $45k into an in ground vinyl it is upsetting. I am also plagued by this, but a little worse. 6+ in the shallow end of what I have found and one is already broken through (very sharp). I really struggle with accepting several patches in areas of foot traffic. I still await action from my PB, so I wish you luck.

 

[ssgumby]

If the stone is not a problem by itself and the only concern in the stone poking a hole in the liner.....why not place a patch over the stone without removing it to increases the thickness of the liner offering some protection. Ideally, I like the incision idea as well.

I agree with this idea, patch over the stone without incision, then when/if the stone pops through the liner the patch still holds the water and gives many more years.