Bottom Plate Replacements?

[geek_mom29]

UPDATED below.

We just bought a 15ft above ground pool second hand. It's several years old, and unfortunately the women we bought the pool from had no idea what model it was. She had bought the house recently and did not want the pool. The pool and hardware are in great shape. The problem is, when the pool was originally installed, they did not install patio pavers under the wall supports and the bottom plates, every single one of them, were corroded completely away. Does anyone have a recommendation of a good universal replacement that we could use? We couldn't even find one that was even remotely in the shape of what it used to look like! It was surprising to us, since the bottom rails were in such good shape and really only had a bit of surface rust which we cleaned off.

If we can't find replacements, what else can we do to stabilize the wall brackets?

 

[kimkats]

I got just the place for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Swimming Pool Supplies - Pool Parts - INYOPools.com

If you have the top plates you should be good to go as I THINK they are almost the same! Take some good pics with a tape measure by it for reference and give them a call.

Good luck and let us know what they say!

Kim

 

[geek_mom29]

Thanks!

That is what what we were thinking, was that the top plates and the bottom plates should be pretty much the same. All of the top plates are in great shape.

 

[kimkats]

That will give you something to work with then! GOOD! Now let Swimming Pool Supplies - Pool Parts - INYOPools.com do their thing and get you set up with new bottom plates!

Kim

 

[geek_mom29]

I sent them the pictures. Hoping to hear from them soon! We start digging later this week, hoping to have it setup next!

 

[geek_mom29]

Inyo Pools wasn't able to help. The problem is that we have no idea who manufactured the pool and it's old, as least as old as 2009. I have called all the local pool sellers and no one has record of the previous owner. This is literally the only thing that we are missing!

We were told by a guy who used to do above ground pool maintenance that the bottom plates are really only used to keep the bottom track completely round while the wall is being installed and pool is filled. This does make sense considering the pool was up and filled with no show of any issues with the wall and those bottom plates were pretty much all gone except for a few thin rusted out pieces where the screws were. We could use the top plates to do this, but then we would have no top plates to put the put the top rail on since once the pool is filled... it's not going anywhere. We did check and the top plates seem to be a good fit for the bottom rail. The problem is then we would need to find a solution for the top plate to attach the rails to.

Any other suggestions?

 

[kimkats]

Thinking about your bottom plates.......going to just throw ideas out there and see what sticks!

One idea:

Master Mark Plastics 95340 Terrace Board Landscape Edging, 5" x 40', Green

You would not have to go all the way around. Just where the bottom plates should be. This would go on the inside and outside to help hold the rails where they should be.

I did just think of something though The side posts sit on the plate as does that part of the wall. The wall not sitting on it is not that big a deal but the post needs to sit on something. More thinking is needed.

Okay I am looking at some plates on inyopool's site and here are some I picked out and why:

Wilbar Top Plate Imperial, Liberty, Ambassador, Eden, Admiral, Prestige, Eden, Regatta (Single) - 1320178 - INYOPools.com

Wilbar Allure Top Plate 5.5 W/U-Shape GF (Single) - 10135 - INYOPools.com

Wilbar Top Plate Bottom Plate (Single) - 20666 - INYOPools.com

See if you can follow my thinking. With it being a bottom plate the screw hole placement will NOT matter! You will not be using them! All you need to as close to size of the whole thing as you can get. If you need to bend the "tabs" for the side posts to fit then so be it. You can work that out.

I have a contact in inyopool. If you think this is something you want to work on let me know. I will try to get him in contact with you so you can work with him to find one that might be "close enough".

Kim

 

[geek_mom29]

Thank you Kim! That could work! From what I could tell, bottom rails all pretty much look like the same width, so any bottom plate could work to keep everything nice and round.

For the wall post, I could possibly put rebar in front of them or even, like you said, bend the tabs. Maybe even use washers to fill any gaps.

I have been emailing Inyo asking them if I can just buy another manufacturer's part. I wasn't sure if they would sell them if I didn't have that particular pool.

 

[kimkats]

OH GOOD! You understood what I what thinking!

Keep me in the loop and let me know if you need me to reach out to inyopool for you.

Kim