Advice needed for large hole in pool wall because of rust.

[curleah]

Well, we had no idea we had this problem until the pool began to visibly leak from the exterior, last evening. The pool wall has a hole from rust. I’m thinking there had to be a very small leak that was undetected for quite some time to cause this damage. This part of the wall is under the deck and not visible, in passing. We had no idea this was happening.

So, the pool itself is about 13 years old and I can no longer buy the parts that connect the wall sections (not sure what they are called) and a lot of these are broken and are duck taped to prevent sharp edges around the rim.

We still have the original liner and were hoping to make it through the summer before putting in a new liner. It’s got quite a few patches but it has served us well. Now, with this issue I’m not sure what should be done? Could the wall be repaired or is this pool done for?

We are considering a substantial addition to our house and if that happens, the answer is easy and the pool has to go. However, this may be 1-2 years out, if it even happens?

I’ll be getting in the pool in a bit to see where it’s actually running out from. I know it’s there somewhere but the liner is still intact covering the hole. So, from the inside of the pool, the leak nor the hole can be seen.

Wondering if I can patch the liner on the inside and hope for another 5-6 weeks out of it? Can this wall section be repaired or is it better to call it a day with this pool and make plans for a new above ground pool or an in-ground pool, in the future?

 

[1poolman1]

Well, we had no idea we had this problem until the pool began to visibly leak from the exterior, last evening. The pool wall has a hole from rust. I’m thinking there had to be a very small leak that was undetected for quite some time to cause this damage. This part of the wall is under the deck and not visible, in passing. We had no idea this was happening.

So, the pool itself is about 13 years old and I can no longer buy the parts that connect the wall sections (not sure what they are called) and a lot of these are broken and are duck taped to prevent sharp edges around the rim.

We still have the original liner and were hoping to make it through the summer before putting in a new liner. It’s got quite a few patches but it has served us well. Now, with this issue I’m not sure what should be done? Could the wall be repaired or is this pool done for?

We are considering a substantial addition to our house and if that happens, the answer is easy and the pool has to go. However, this may be 1-2 years out, if it even happens?

I’ll be getting in the pool in a bit to see where it’s actually running out from. I know it’s there somewhere but the liner is still intact covering the hole. So, from the inside of the pool, the leak nor the hole can be seen.

Wondering if I can patch the liner on the inside and hope for another 5-6 weeks out of it? Can this wall section be repaired or is it better to call it a day with this pool and make plans for a new above ground pool or an in-ground pool, in the future?View attachment 519439

Safest is new-pool time. You have no idea what corrosion/erosion has been happening underground from a leak like that. The portion of the wall in the ground could be, essentially, gone.

 

[kellyfair]

No way would I do anything other than take that pool down. If I remember correctly, @zea3 can show you video of a pool failing due to rust.

 

[zea3]

I can pretty much guarantee the rust on the inside of the pool wall is much more extensive than what you see on the outside of the wall. I have a link to the aftermath of my AGP failure (RIP 21" Vogue pool). I had a completely rusted out hole the size of a softball before it ruptured. The structural integrity of this pool is compromised. Now that there is a hole rusted through the wall, that section will be more likely to fail. It will have less resistance to the force of water pushing against the walls of the pool while attempting to seek level. If this pool is partially buried the part below ground may not rupture, however the part below ground may be rusted beyond saving. What would be in the path of the water if this pool were to rupture? 25,000 gallons of water rushing out all at once can do a lot of damage.

 

[kimkats]

ditto here! We got lucky in that the water did not do any damage when the wall failed on ours AFTER we spent major time and effort "fixing" in Safer for everyone to take it down and start all over