Mole Tracks Under Pool

by Rick
(IL)

I have mole tracks all along the outer edges of my pool where the weight of the pool has collapsed into the burrows.

Is there an easy fix for this? Do most folks just let it be? Is it worth the effort to fix? Thank you.

Hi Rick.

It's not a big problem. It can be left as is until your next liner change, or you can drain the pool and fix it anytime.

If you drain the pool it is best to leave a couple of inches of water in the bottom. This way the liner will not shift or shrink. Once the top rails are removed the liner can be pulled back by one person and the sand smoothed by another.

If you leave water in the pool, and do the draining and repairs all in one day, the liner should not be damaged. You just can't drain it completely or let is sit empty for any length of time.

If the burrows are not to bad, and you think you can live with it, you are better off just leaving it alone until the time comes when you have to drain the pool.

This page might help also.

Leveling an Above Ground Pool

Mole Damage Under Liner

I had a 21-foot above ground pool installed in August, 2007. We have had moles in different parts of our 5 acre yard, but not in the area where we had the pool placed. I noticed last summer when we opened the pool, the floor around the inside wall seemed to have depressions.

I got in the water and used my foot to see how deep and how large the depressions were. There are probably 20 of these depressions, the worst about the size of a salad plate and about 2 inches deep.

Could this be the result of old mole tunnels collapsing under the weight of the water?

Wouldn't the pool installer have noticed old mole tunnels when he leveled the ground? Could it be that the sand base was not compacted properly? And why just around the edge, none in the middle of the pool?

I contacted the place where I bought the pool, who also installed it. They did not have a clue what this could be. I asked them to come and have a look. They never showed and the last time I called, they did not return my call.

I am afraid if these depressions sink further, my liner will eventually be damaged. I have a beaded liner. Please help me!!! I am considering draining and sinking the pool into the ground. Any ideas how much this would cost to have somebody else do this?

Hi

I have seen depressions like yours created by ants and other bugs. There are two possible reasons for them being near the outer edge. Usually bugs will just go under the pool a short ways, so most of the depressions are in the outer 2-3 foot of the pool. The sand is usually thicker near the outer edges also, that might make a difference.

It is possible to drain the pool, pull the liner back, resmooth and refill. This has to be done very quickly so the liner does not shrink. It should be emptied and refilled in the same day.

It is probably alright to just keep an eye on them, but you don't want them getting much bigger. A mole usually leaves a round hole with no bottom to it. The liner dips way down and has nothing under it. That gets pretty dangerous. If your liner is still resting on solid sand I would guess some type of bug. You might try spreading ant and bug killer around the pool and see if that prevents any more from occurring.

Since it is difficult reinstalling used liners you may want to wait on sinking the pool. Cost wise you are probably looking at a grand at least, for tear down, digging and reinstalling.