Pool walls started to buckle over winter

[Levy2725]

Hi all. Was just taking the compost out and I noticed the walls on both sides of the above-ground pool were buckling in. Looked closer and it appeared the weight of the snow was putting too much weight on the cover, pulling the walls in a bit. We live in Vermont and get plenty of snow but have never had this problem since we bought the house and inherited the pool three years ago.

Started shoveling off the snow, finally peaked under the cover and there was only about 6-8 inches of water left in the bottom of the pool. Had left it at about 3 feet, just a few inches below the filter trap when we closed it for winter. We were able to get all the snow off, dumping some of it into the pool as we went and the walls all popped back to normal as we removed the weight and the cover. I'm assuming we have a hole somewhere and once it's patched and the pool is full again we won't have to worry about the structure.

But I could use advice on what to do with the now mostly empty pool for the rest of the winter. If we put the cover back on as it was, taut, I'm guessing I'll have to shovel it off and remove it partially for every snowstorm here on out. Can I leave it off completely? Just drape it over the bottom and secure it so it doesn't blow away? In both cases I know I'd be starting from scratch with the chemistry in the spring. Or should I turn the water lines to the hose spigot back on and try to fill it back up to where it was? I probably have 2-3 more months before we're opening it up for the spring.

Thanks!

 

[Mdragger88]

Just Leave the cover off.
Its only there to prevent debris & preserve the fc in the water both of which are moot at this point.
If there is no ice in the pool you can add some water back to further support the walls. If there’s ice - just leave it alone - it can shift & completely rip the liner.

 

[Casey]

Is the 6-8" of water clear in the pool? If so, maybe you can get a pair of rubber boots n get in to see if you can find the hole, it's most definitely on the bottom or low on the wall. Check to see if it's near the ladder/entry on the wall. Patch it n fill it back up.

 

[Decoy205]

I had a similar issue. I took the cover off. There is about a foot of water in my pool now. Waiting until the thaw in the spring and will have to go in a mission to find the issue with the liner. Good luck.

 

[Newdude]

Can I leave it off completely?

Yes. Enough rain or snow would try to collapse the walls again. See if you can find the leak where the water stopped. I would also get a real good belt, tight around the top of the walls to help take stress from the wind. Run down to the nearest auto parts store and get some ratchet straps if you don't already have some. Tighten it just to the point it starts to move the walls.