My new pool went in about 5 weeks ago. 24' above ground which replaced a damaged 21' above ground. I noticed today that there are small "ruts" or "canyons" in the pool floor. I believe the installers used mason sand, and they definitely used a tamper to pack it. AT first I thought maybe it was just that the tightly packed sand cracked a bit, but I suspect its more likely that ants are tunneling around under there and the tunnels collapse under the weight of the water.
I only just noticed it yesterday. I was only in the pool once or twice the week it went in, then I was travelling for a couple of weeks and since my return I've been so busy I haven't used it. My wife and kids, and the neighborhood kids are in there daily, but they either never noticed or didn't think it was something worth mentioning.
We do have a lot of ants here. I applied an ant killer to the outside perimeter before adding the landscaping rocks around the pool edge, but it was just something I picked up at Home Depot so maybe not effective? I also put 6 outdoor bait traps equidistant around the edge of the landscaping rock and I noticed today one is definitely seeing some action so I added two more in that general spot. I did not treat the inside area when they installed the pool, but again in the approximately 15 years I had my other pool, I never had an issue.
Of course I'm reading about how ants will eat a bunch of tiny pinholes in the liner and ruin it, something I was completely unaware of in nearly 15 years of owning the previous pool. I called my bug guy, who is awesome and I'm waiting for his callback. I know the stuff he has to treat insects is the real deal, and I want to "nip" this as quickly as possible.
Has anyone else experienced this? I've seen some posts about it but couldn't really find any describing the little crevices I have. The sand under my old pool was softer, more like beach sand, so I don't think I would have ever known if ants were doing this before. And that old liner was incredibly thick. The new one is 25 gauge (swimline I think) and feels nowhere near as sturdy as the old 15 year old Doughboy liner was.
Any insight or shared experiences would be appreciated
I only just noticed it yesterday. I was only in the pool once or twice the week it went in, then I was travelling for a couple of weeks and since my return I've been so busy I haven't used it. My wife and kids, and the neighborhood kids are in there daily, but they either never noticed or didn't think it was something worth mentioning.
We do have a lot of ants here. I applied an ant killer to the outside perimeter before adding the landscaping rocks around the pool edge, but it was just something I picked up at Home Depot so maybe not effective? I also put 6 outdoor bait traps equidistant around the edge of the landscaping rock and I noticed today one is definitely seeing some action so I added two more in that general spot. I did not treat the inside area when they installed the pool, but again in the approximately 15 years I had my other pool, I never had an issue.
Of course I'm reading about how ants will eat a bunch of tiny pinholes in the liner and ruin it, something I was completely unaware of in nearly 15 years of owning the previous pool. I called my bug guy, who is awesome and I'm waiting for his callback. I know the stuff he has to treat insects is the real deal, and I want to "nip" this as quickly as possible.
Has anyone else experienced this? I've seen some posts about it but couldn't really find any describing the little crevices I have. The sand under my old pool was softer, more like beach sand, so I don't think I would have ever known if ants were doing this before. And that old liner was incredibly thick. The new one is 25 gauge (swimline I think) and feels nowhere near as sturdy as the old 15 year old Doughboy liner was.
Any insight or shared experiences would be appreciated
