Hi, I have just put up my new pool but as it was filling I didn't notice one corner had moved. It is almost out of one rail but solidly in the other rail. I was so busy making sure the supports were pulled all the way out, I didn't think to watch the corner. It is 1/2 way filled and I noticed the corner. Do I have to drain it and start again? It has taken days just to get where it is since we have a water restriction in our area. My sides haven't come up all the way either. Looking for any advice out there. THX
Intex Ultra frame 16x32 ft pool corner
- Thread starter CLCarter08
- Start date
It’s a bit difficult to say. A picture might help. Once the pool is filled the sides will straighten out and then there is very little pressure on the corners. They will normally slide in and out a bit as the pool is used (although they are long enough that you can’t remove them completely when the pool is full. So if it’s in far enough, then once the pool is filled then it might get to a point where it is loose enough that you can just slide it back in.
However, on the other hand, if it’s not in far enough, then it’s possible that you could get the pool filled and still not be able to get the corner into place and wind up having to drain the entire pool to fix it.
Additionally, the corner pieces are under a good bit of stress as the pool fills because the walls try to cave inward and the corner pieces are what keeps them from completely collapsing. This stress is going to get worse and worse as more water is added to the pool, until the point where it is nearly full. Worst case, if the corner piece is just barely hanging on then it might slip out and cause the pool to collapse and get damaged.
So if you think the corner piece is mostly in place then you might be able to get away with leaving it and continuing to fill, however, there is some risk that once the pool is full you may not be able to fix it and will have to empty the whole pool and start over. And if it’s barely hanging on then there is also some risk that it could slip out completely as the pool continues filling and damage the pool.
As much as it sucks to do so, I’d probably err on the side of caution and drain the pool enough that you can fix the corner and then start filling again. I don’t think you’ll need to completely drain it, but you‘ll probably have to remove a significant amount of the water.
However, on the other hand, if it’s not in far enough, then it’s possible that you could get the pool filled and still not be able to get the corner into place and wind up having to drain the entire pool to fix it.
Additionally, the corner pieces are under a good bit of stress as the pool fills because the walls try to cave inward and the corner pieces are what keeps them from completely collapsing. This stress is going to get worse and worse as more water is added to the pool, until the point where it is nearly full. Worst case, if the corner piece is just barely hanging on then it might slip out and cause the pool to collapse and get damaged.
So if you think the corner piece is mostly in place then you might be able to get away with leaving it and continuing to fill, however, there is some risk that once the pool is full you may not be able to fix it and will have to empty the whole pool and start over. And if it’s barely hanging on then there is also some risk that it could slip out completely as the pool continues filling and damage the pool.
As much as it sucks to do so, I’d probably err on the side of caution and drain the pool enough that you can fix the corner and then start filling again. I don’t think you’ll need to completely drain it, but you‘ll probably have to remove a significant amount of the water.
I apologize if these pictures do not come through correctly, I'm not good at this. My other three corners all look normal but this one is coming out. Looks like I'll be bucket dumping tomorrow. I'm afraid if I start the drain it won't stop when I want it to. Thank you for your advice.
Yeah, that looks like it’s pretty close to the end of the corner piece. Unfortunately, emptying the pool is probably the best option.
But I wouldn’t worry too much about using the drain. The drain actually has two parts. There’s a rubber plug inside the pool that needs to be opened and a screw on cap outside the pool. The rubber plug is held in with water pressure, so it’s quite easy to re-insert even if the pool hasn’t been completely drained. Then once the rubber plug is in and the water has stopped it’s easy to screw the cap back on from the outside. In fact, the little rubber plug is attached to the drain with a short tether and has a habit of finding it’s way back into the drain and plugging it all on it’s own. The few times I’ve had to drain my pool I’ve wound up having to use something to hold the rubber plug back so the the pool could drain.
I would suggest putting a little piece of wood or plastic or something on the ground under the drain so the rushing water doesn’t errode the dirt away while the pool drains.
But I wouldn’t worry too much about using the drain. The drain actually has two parts. There’s a rubber plug inside the pool that needs to be opened and a screw on cap outside the pool. The rubber plug is held in with water pressure, so it’s quite easy to re-insert even if the pool hasn’t been completely drained. Then once the rubber plug is in and the water has stopped it’s easy to screw the cap back on from the outside. In fact, the little rubber plug is attached to the drain with a short tether and has a habit of finding it’s way back into the drain and plugging it all on it’s own. The few times I’ve had to drain my pool I’ve wound up having to use something to hold the rubber plug back so the the pool could drain.
I would suggest putting a little piece of wood or plastic or something on the ground under the drain so the rushing water doesn’t errode the dirt away while the pool drains.
