Liner tear!

[LazyL]

Found a 1 inch liner tear about 7ft down on the sidewalk of my pool. Haven’t noticed water level dropping beyond normal evaporation. Knee jerk reaction was to order patch kit on amazon and get it here ASAP.

The kit I bought is basically a peel and stick and given the depth thought this would be the easiest to apply.

Will this work or should I go a different route? Liner is around 12 years old but in good shape otherwise.

 

[Catanzaro]

Peel and stick (NO GOOD). Your best bet is underwater glue with a clear 28' mil patch. Use a nice object that is circular (about 2" - 2.5" max), and cut with a razor blade. Place glue on back on patch, fold in half, go down, unfold and apply to the cut. Hold with pressure for 30 seconds if possible. I know you may float real quickly, but the glue works real fast.

- - - Updated - - -

The reason why clear is that even if you had extra liner laying around, the color would be way off. I have a patch fading in the sun trying to catch up to a 5 year old liner. If you are comfortable and the liner has not been compromised, then patch away!

 

[LazyL]

Thanks! Able to cancel my order on amazon for the peel and stick. I guess I will call around tomorrow and see if I can find a repair kit that includes what you suggested.
Any online recommendations?

 

[Catanzaro]

Thanks! Able to cancel my order on amazon for the peel and stick. I guess I will call around tomorrow and see if I can find a repair kit that includes what you suggested.
Any online recommendations?

The thickness may only be 20 mil, but in general the area in question will be the patch on the old liner, making it even thicker, which is perfectly fine.

 

[LazyL]

The thickness may only be 20 mil, but in general the area in question will be the patch on the old liner, making it even thicker, which is perfectly fine.

Ok, I found a patch kit on Amazon that fits what you recommended:https://www.amazon.com/Pool-Liner-R...56&sr=8-3&keywords=vinyl+pool+liner+patch+kit Look good? If I cant find anything locally tomorrow I will most likely order this one.

I dove down to inspect the tear and it looks to start at a seam which it is perpendicular to. My plan will be to make the patch a little larger to completely cover the seam as well. Will that work?

 

[LazyL]

Ok, I found a patch kit on Amazon that fits what you recommended:https://www.amazon.com/Pool-Liner-R...56&sr=8-3&keywords=vinyl+pool+liner+patch+kit Look good? If I cant find anything locally tomorrow I will most likely order this one.

I dove down to inspect the tear and it looks to start at a seam which it is perpendicular to. My plan will be to make the patch a little larger to completely cover the seam as well. Will that work?

Doesn't look like the link came through for the patch kit. Here it is: https://www.amazon.com/Pool-Liner-Repair-408517Boxer-Swimming/dp/B0039ZFL98/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1531701656&sr=8-3&keywords=vinyl+pool+liner+patch+kit

 

[PoolguyinCT]

Peel and stick expands & contracts at a very different rate than the liner material. Perhaps you have remnants sitting around from the install, or can go buy a swatch from a local dealer.

 

[Catanzaro]

I dove down to inspect the tear and it looks to start at a seam which it is perpendicular to. My plan will be to make the patch a little larger to completely cover the seam as well. Will that work?

Maybe Ray can answer this, but a tear at a seam that is stitched together may be slightly compromised (Not Sure). If this was my pool I would patch even larger than first thought!

 

[LazyL]

Maybe Ray can answer this, but a tear at a seam that is stitched together may be slightly compromised (Not Sure). If this was my pool I would patch even larger than first thought!

Thanks for the reply! I will wait for Ray, hopefully he is able to chime in.

Interestingly, the pool isn't losing any water other than the normal evaporation.

 

[Catanzaro]

Thanks for the reply! I will wait for Ray, hopefully he is able to chime in. Interestingly, the pool isn't losing any water other than the normal evaporation.

Can you take a picture of the area in question and upload for viewing? It is at the stitching exactly or near that area? Of course, the picture is from the patio, unless you have the underwater camera. I go down weekly with goggles looking for minor imperfections in the liner. Always ask the children not to scale the liner, especially with toe nails as I have heard this can rip the liner. Although, I took a sample with a screw driver and the liners are pretty sturdy (28 mil). But with underwater elements, time, chlorine, sun, the elasticity will definitely change.

 

[LazyL]

Can you take a picture of the area in question and upload for viewing? It is at the stitching exactly or near that area? Of course, the picture is from the patio, unless you have the underwater camera. I go down weekly with goggles looking for minor imperfections in the liner. Always ask the children not to scale the liner, especially with toe nails as I have heard this can rip the liner. Although, I took a sample with a screw driver and the liners are pretty sturdy (28 mil). But with underwater elements, time, chlorine, sun, the elasticity will definitely change.

I actually found a guy that came highly recommended that will get in the pool with dive gear patch the tear and check the rest of the pool for any tears while he is in there. $150 and well worth it in my opinion, if it wasn't down so deep I would be more comfortable patching myself.

Thanks for the help. Now a new topic probably for another thread is how this happened and why everyone I called first question was: Do you have a pool robot? Now I am wondering if I should stop using it. I did notice a lot of scratching on the corners most likely from the robot.

 

[PoolguyinCT]

Maybe Ray can answer this, but a tear at a seam that is stitched together may be slightly compromised (Not Sure). If this was my pool I would patch even larger than first thought!

Definitely oversized generously. Is the damage near a change in plane?