Pool Side Brace Problems

by Brian
(Manchester Ct, USA)

I posted a question that has not been answered yet but I have done some additional research and there is no way to revise my question so I am rewriting it with some new info.

The pool was installed a little over a week ago. The guys who did the installation were pros and they did have a transit and every block is within 1/8 inch. Visually the pool is perfect, no issues of any kind however, when walking in the pool, and if you know where to look, you can see the pressure plates and about a foot of the center straps lifting or raised. You can feel that there is sand so the liner is not in contact with any metal.

After doing some reading I realized the straps are likely not raised but the buttress uprights might be leaning out. I checked them with a level, and sure enough, they are all leaning about 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches. That doesn't seem like a lot but it is enough that it is raising the pressure plates under the liner.

After reading posts on other sites as well as this one I have seen repairs ranging from draining the pool, pulling back the liner, adding sand and rebuilding the cove, after re-leveling the buttress to just draining a small amount of water and driving a wedge between buttress support and the block it is resting on.

I want to know what is the best way verse the easiest way to repair this issue and if I need to worry about doing it right away or can I wait til spring and drain most of the water and add crush stone and additional blocks to ensure it doesn't happen again.

Also while vacuuming the pool near one of these raised spots the vac grabbed the liner and when I pulled it away it formed a wrinkle on the bottom of the liner. Do I also need to worry about this or is it just an inconvenience?

Hi Brian

Let me answer your last question first. Stay away from those areas with the vacuum. That's the big drawback to having sunk, or raised, areas in the liner. It is very easy to tear the liner with cleaning equipment. So, for now, stay away from these areas.

Raising the side support blocks, so that the support uprights are perfectly straight, is important, but if that is all you do you still have the liner issues. You have areas you cannot clean and areas you have to continually watch to make sure the liner does not come into contact with metal.

I would drain the pool and fix it right.

If the liner is save, and the supports are stable, you are probably OK to wait a while before fixing it. Just watch the uprights for further settling and the liner for metal contact. And be careful when cleaning.