Leaking Above Ground Pool Liner

by Scott Cumbie
(Kathleen, Ga. USA)

I just installed a 27 foot AGP. I began filling it yesterday. This morning I notice a small puddle of water around the bottom of the frame in one section.

So I'm guessing that my new liner must have a leak somewhere. What is the best way to tell where the leak is? There is nothing that is noticeable by looking into the pool.

Thanks, Scott

Hi Scott.

About the only time I ever suspect a bad seam is when the pool is initially filled. Once the pool is full a leak is seldom caused by a bad seam.

In your situation I would get in the pool and examine the seams very carefully. Having a wet spot around the outside of the pool pretty well isolates the location of the hole for you. Once you have checked the seam check above and below it. When a pool leaks water to the outside the hole is usually in the cove area. A hole is going to look like a dark piece of dirt. I rub my hands over an area and anything that does not move gets further investigation.

Holes that are farther into the pool are usually identified by the mushy sand in that area. They may also have sand around the hole, on the liner bottom.

I normally look for leaks with my goggles on, underwater. I would seldom drain a pool just to find a leak, unless I could just not find it. Pin holes in the bottom of the pool can be almost impossible to find so I drain the pool and crawl under the liner. Any hole in a vinyl liner can be seen from the underside of the liner. It can be unbearably hot under a liner but it is the best way to find holes when nothing else works.

This page might help with your leaky liner problem.

Holes in Vinyl Pool

Above Ground Pool Under Ground

by Tami Darling
(Palm Bay FL)

Well, today I noticed my water was going down very fast, I had my daughter go into the pool to check things out and it seems the vinyl has completely torn , it's floating off the bottom of the pool and the walls are coming up to the top.

My question is, do I drain the pool until I can replace the vinyl or do I just leave the water in it, it seems the water is coming up along the sides of the outside of the pool.

I'm just afraid that being that it's buried under ground that if I take the water out it will buckle. Please help, thank you.

Hi Tami.

I'm sorry to hear about your torn pool liner. It does sound like a bad situation. Your biggest fear should be of the dirt around the outside of the pool caving in. If the pool is empty, and the ground is wet, it could happen very easily.

I would not drain it and let it sit or you will for sure have cave in problems. I would, however, drain the pool immediately so all that water does not saturate the ground around the pool. You should then replace the liner as soon as possible.

From the sounds of it the pool will drain itself very quickly. I could not imagine trying to keep water in it after what you described.

Is My Pool Leaking

Our pool seems to have lost water over the winter. Is this common? Or do you think that we may have a hole in our liner?

Hi.

It is common to loose some water over the winter so the only way to find out would be to fill it up and watch it for a while.

Unless, of course, your pool looks like this one. I would think a leak is pretty obvious.

A very good way to tell if you have a leak or not is to use the bucket test. You need a bucket of water that you can set next to the pool. Take a marker and mark the water level in the pool and in the bucket. After a week the evaporation should be the same in the pool and the bucket.

Wet spots around the pool are another indication of a leak. Mushy spots in the bottom of the pool are another sign.

This page talks a little more about leaky pool liners.

Holes in Vinyl Pool

Leaking Liner

by Francis
(Pennsylvania)

There's a hole on the bottom of my overlap liner and water keeps leaking out onto the lawn. I tried a patch a couple of times but it's not holding up, and there's a deep trench where the sand has been shifted underneath the hole.

The liner needs to be replaced, and I can't afford to get a new one this year. Is there any way around this? If I just drained the pool and placed a winter cover on it, is there a way to make sure the pool walls never collapse?

Hi Francis.

There is really no way to make sure an empty pool will not collapse. Some pools will stand for years without water and others will blow over with the first strong wind. I recommend never leaving a pool empty because you just never know.

If you are using stick on patches that might be your problem. Try Boxer vinyl repair patch. You apply the glue to the patch, hold your breath and stick it on, come up for air and hold your big toe on it for a while. I have never seen a hole that Boxer glue could not fix.

The sand washing out under the hole is not a problem unless it leaves the liner resting on the pool frame. If the liner is resting on sharp metal it could cause severe damage very quickly. If that is not the case a patch should easily get you through another season or so.

These pages might also be of interest.

Vinyl Liners

Overlap Liners

Beaded Liners