Need Advice - To close or not to close

[mpatrick14]

I have a little dilemma. This is my first year with an AGP, so I have never closed one before. Right now, the water is about 68 degrees, but if I leave the solar cover off it will probably cool down quickly.

Here are my issues:

1) I have not run the filter for about 2 weeks, and had a small amount of green on the walls. I have brushed down the pool, and brought it to shock levels with bleach. Do I need to raise the water level in order to run the pump and filter before cleaning, or will the bleach and my semi effective robo cleaner be enough?

2) The person who set up my pool did a terrible job on the pool floor. They made sure the walls were perfectly level, but they did not put enough dirt inside, did not remove all of the rocks, tried to bury all straps, even in deep end, but not well. In the weeks after the pool was full, I saw more and more wrinkles in the floor, and started to see the outlines of the metal straps across the floors, especially around the buttress free uprights. I also know there are at least some leaks I have not been able to find. The water slowly drains from the pool, I know what end of the pool the issues are in, but it is the deep end, where there are many big wrinkles. I am having trouble finding the leaks to repair them. For the summer, i have just had to fill it a little more often, but for winter I know once I close the pool and cover it, it will just keep slowly leaking until it is empty unless I get into the cold non filtered water and try finding them again.

So, I am looking for an answer to number 1, and then an opinion on number 2. If this were your pool, and the bottom was uneven, bumpy, had leaks, and you could see the straps sticking out, would you let it drain and try redoing the bottom the next season with a new liner? Or is it more trouble than it is worth, and would you suggest I just try and find the holes to patch and leave it as is?

Also, what if it is a seam that is tearing, and not just a hole to patch? I know the deep end seam was stretched pretty far, and I am not sure it isn’t a seam issue...

Another thing of note is that there are no pool companies in Las Vegas that do Above Ground Pool installs but one, so they are price gougers. For example, they wanted over 10K to set up my AGP that cost 5K. So anything I decide to do, I will end up having to do on my own this time around...

 

[TizMe]

I have a little dilemma. This is my first year with an AGP, so I have never closed one before. Right now, the water is about 68 degrees, but if I leave the solar cover off it will probably cool down quickly.

Here are my issues:

1) I have not run the filter for about 2 weeks, and had a small amount of green on the walls. I have brushed down the pool, and brought it to shock levels with bleach. Do I need to raise the water level in order to run the pump and filter before cleaning, or will the bleach and my semi effective robo cleaner be enough?

Im not sure how cold it gets where you are but once your water drops below 60 degrees or so algae will not survive. If your going to add bleach i would "stir" the pool water to get some motion going and add 1 jug at a time and allowing the chlorine to mix before adding the next but keep motion in the water.




2) The person who set up my pool did a terrible job on the pool floor. They made sure the walls were perfectly level, but they did not put enough dirt inside, did not remove all of the rocks, tried to bury all straps, even in deep end, but not well. In the weeks after the pool was full, I saw more and more wrinkles in the floor, and started to see the outlines of the metal straps across the floors, especially around the buttress free uprights. I also know there are at least some leaks I have not been able to find. The water slowly drains from the pool, I know what end of the pool the issues are in, but it is the deep end, where there are many big wrinkles. I am having trouble finding the leaks to repair them. For the summer, i have just had to fill it a little more often, but for winter I know once I close the pool and cover it, it will just keep slowly leaking until it is empty unless I get into the cold non filtered water and try finding them again.

Is there any way to take pics and post them of the bottom so we can see what it looks lke and what might be involved in fixing it? Someone with more knowledge should be able to give you more advice on this problem. How old is the pool? Any chance of warranty work ?



So, I am looking for an answer to number 1, and then an opinion on number 2. If this were your pool, and the bottom was uneven, bumpy, had leaks, and you could see the straps sticking out, would you let it drain and try redoing the bottom the next season with a new liner? Or is it more trouble than it is worth, and would you suggest I just try and find the holes to patch and leave it as is?

Also, what if it is a seam that is tearing, and not just a hole to patch? I know the deep end seam was stretched pretty far, and I am not sure it isn’t a seam issue...

Another thing of note is that there are no pool companies in Las Vegas that do Above Ground Pool installs but one, so they are price gougers. For example, they wanted over 10K to set up my AGP that cost 5K. So anything I decide to do, I will end up having to do on my own this time around...

 

[mpatrick14]

I do not think any pictures can really capture the issues with the pool floor, since it is a marble liner it is hard to see all of the issues other than the wrinkles. My biggest concern is how much the ground has settled around the buttress free side uprights. I would say they stick up about 3/4 inch, enough that if the Pool Rover is driving in that area, it sometimes gets stuck, and you can stub your toes on them. If you are in the pool, you can also see and feet the metal straps that go across the width of the pool.

I found one hole in the liner right on one of those upright braces, but I know there has to be more based on how the water is leaking out.

My neighbor is complaining that the ground 4 feet out from their wall is wet, it is not gushing, but it is a constant seeping that goes far beyond my yard and doesn't appear to be stopping anytime soon, so I know if I dont drain the pool completely or successfully patch it, it will just keep leaking until it is empty.

 

[spishex]

Definitely don't close this pool. Given the extent of the wash out and the amount of water seeping out, this has gotten to the point of being a headache and not something you'll be able to enjoy.

Get the company that sold it to you out there and see what they're willing to do. If you've got seam separations that's a potential warranty issue.

However it happens, this thing needs to be drained, the floor redone, and the liner probably replaced.

There are potential patch jobs but if it's as extensive as you describe (got any pictures of it?) it will be impractical, and with this happening after only a year the problem is likely to get worse.

In my opinion.