Soft spot in pool bottom(less than 1 yr old)

[msera1]

Hello All, I have a soft spot in the shallow end pool bottom and its getting bigger, directly in front and almost the whole width of the fiberglass steps.
My pool is a Concrete wall vinyl liner pool with Fiberglass steps. Bottom is a sand/Portland mix and the rest of the bottom is pretty hard. Pool in under one year old and went thru one winter. Trying not to freak as I just sodded and landscaped the property.

Looking for some advice from experience. So much going thru my mind......Could it be the strips along the bottom and sides of the steps where the liner gets fastened that are not tightened, or the seam in the Merlin Aquamax liner that runs just 6 inches in front of the steps or even the return pipes for the steps(couldn't these be pressure tested) . I should mention that the angle of the liner was never 90 degree at his section under the steps but always had a curve.

Thank you all !

 

[Bama Rambler]

Are you losing water?

It certainly sounds like it's leaking at the step liner joint. Being less than a year old, it should still be under builder warranty.

 

[257WbyMag]

Agree with Bama. Contact your builder ASAP.

 

[msera1]

I have contacted him and will be inspecting Tuesday. If that's the problem I'll be relieved. What about fixing the bottom, they would have to drain the pool and peel the liner part way back, may not be worth it. As far as losing water, it must not be a lot as its hard to measure . What is the normal evap rate in the summer???

Thanks

 

[Bama Rambler]

You should run a bucket test to see how much water you're losing over evaporation.

Yes they would have to drain the pool at least past the shallow end in order to repair the bottom. You don't want to deny them doing that if it is leaking and softening the ground. It'll only get worse until it's repaired.

 

[msera1]

Bama, I would not deny them to stop the leak and am eager to get that solved. If they did stop the leak and the soft spot did not grow, could I wait till end of season to get the bottom fixed?
Thanks

 

[Bama Rambler]

That's something you and the builder will have to work out. They may want to do that anyway as this is their busiest time of year so putting it off may appeal to them as well.

 

[msera1]

Re: Update...Soft spot in pool bottom(less than 1 yr old)

Update. !! I was not home but the Pool tech that installed liner did a dye test after waiting 6 weeks. Skimmer,steps , returns and light were done and found no issues. He thinks its ground water and suggests I install drains around the problem area. This is a huge issue as I have completed the concrete pool decking(only 4 feet and landscaping. Installing drainage on edge of decking is not a great solution as he suggests as it wont really divert from the pool bottom as water could from below or travel to the bottom of shallow end. Another thing is that the shallow end bottom can't be fixed as the Pool tech states the holes for the returns and steps will not line up if he peels back and re-installs. I cant believe this is happening.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Did you run a bucket test of your own? That will tell you if it's the pool or something else.