Oval Pool Posts Leaning Out

by Tonia
(Bowling Green KY)

I have noticed you had gotten several questions dealing with round and oval pools doing this. I did hire a "so called" professional to set my pool up. I then called to let him know two and a half weeks after set up this had happened.

He asked me to drain the pool and only leave enough water in it to hold the liner in place and he would come back and fix it. Needless to say he never came back. So, I am of course wanting to get this pool fixed right, so we can enjoy it this season.

I don't know if I am reading what you say correctly but the way I understand it is to drain the pool, leaving only enough water to hold the liner in place. Then loosen the bolts/screws so that the legs/post and wall can be pulled back up straight, brace the legs with concrete pavers under them as to not slip again, and then tighten the screws/bolts back up, and refill pool. Is this correct?

I haven't but can take pics if they would help you out better on describing how to fix this problem. Thank You

Hi Tonia

I received your small correction so that I understand your problem better. And yes, you are right, the repairs should be able to be made with just a small amount of water left in the pool.

Photos of the pool would have helped, but the basic procedure is the same regardless of the pool. If the side braces of your pool include the angle piece that extends the brace assembly out beyond your pool by several feet, the repairs are pretty easy.

You would drain the water, like you said, leaving a little in the pool to hold the liner down. The backs of the brace assemblies could then be raised and blocked.

You would then need to remove the

top rails going down the side of the pool. Remove the rods and coping. Someone inside the pool can then hold the liner back out of the way so the pool cove can be inspected. This is very important. The cove needs to be in place to cover any sharp edges. Many times, when outside leveling has been done, the cove gets disturbed, so make sure it is as good as new. With oval pools you also run the risk of base damage further unto the pool. The buttress channel could extend several feet into the pool. It should also have pressure plates attached to it. This whole area should be checked for any pool base damage.

With a buttress free design you have a few possibilities. The braces may be connected, side to side, by straps. If this is the case the procedure will be the same as the pool with the buttress design, you will simply raise the blocks and check for cove damage.

If there are no straps to hold the sides together you probably have large 8 x 8 x 16 inch blocks under each brace assembly. You may not be able dig out and raise this block. In most cases it is just fine to leave it in place. You can shim the pool back into place with pieces of metal, block, or anything solid. Your only concern is that you don't affect the structure of the pool. By this I mean there is usually an L bracket resting on the block. This bracket keeps the pool from pushing out, since you do not have straps. This bracket needs to be resting on something solid. Keep that in mind with any brace modifications.

Doughboy instructs users to add concrete around their brace assemblies to help hold them in place. This is after they are already set on blocks. Once the pool is level the way it should be, this is not a bad idea.