Tree Fell on my Pool

by David
(Gloucester, VA)

A tree hit my pool. I'm planning on replacing the liner, but should I be worried about the dents in the side of pool?

Will a new liner protect me or will the pressure give way? Please help... I don't want to dump thousands into this if I don't have to.

Hi David

From what I see you should have no problem banging the wall flat. If you do this with the pool upright, like shown, a board on one side and a rubber mallet on the other will do a fine job. If the wall is down rolling it out on pavement and pounding it flat works great.

Before installing the new liner check the wall carefully. Most of the time a little, or a lot, of Duct tape will smooth out any rough edges. If there are any creases that appear to be through the wall consider taping some metal flat stock over the area.

The most important thing is to make sure the liner does not come into contact with any rough edges.

Tree Fell On Doughboy

by Ms.Babbit
(Yukon Ok )

We had a 30 minute "Ice Storm" last week that iced nothing but trees. It uprooted a big tree that fell on the pool and damaged two separate wall areas, the liner appeared to survive. We are being told 20 different options from 20 different people. Each one saying the option before is wrong.

So here are my questions;

We are being told the wall is not in panel sections but one solid piece and no one sells the walls separate. They also say they no longer make our wall anyway. The pool is somewhere between 10 to 12 years old. The entire wall & liner has to be replaced, basically a new pool.

Is this true? Can pools NOT be spot repaired? Also,I just don't understand if DB's are the original portable pool why the liners can't be reused. Out liner is less than 3 years old.

Hi

Ouch, that looks so painful. I have lived through an ice storm and was in fear for my home, surrounded by trees.

It looks like, from the photos, a Doughboy brand pool. That means you should be able to order any parts you may need through any Doughboy dealer store. They should all be able to order parts.

Yes, the wall is one continuous roll. The whole thing should be replaced. It might be possible to lay it out on concrete and pound it flat, I can't be sure on that. If the creases have caused tears in the wall, I would not recommend it.

The top rails, rods and uprights should be easily replaced. The liner, that's another story.

It's hard to imagine that much pool damage and the liner still in good condition, but I'm sure it's possible. But re-using a vinyl liner is complicated. They shrink, and usually after a couple of seasons they are unusable. You have the skimmer and return openings to line up where they belong, and then the rest of the liner has shrunk and nothing fits. If by chance you have enough liner to fit the pool, it will wind up looking terrible. You will have wrinkles as well as lumps and bumps in the bottom.

Ideally this would make a good insurance claim, get it all replaced with new stuff and have it professionally installed.

If that's not the case you are still better off with a new pool. When you add the cost of a wall, liner and other additional parts a new pool is probably cheaper. You don't need the pool with all the other stuff, just the pool and liner. That's a lot cheaper than a pool with filter, cleaner and ladder.

Another option would be finding a used pool where you could combine parts and get up and running for just a few hundred dollars.

Tree Damaged Top Rail

by Jeff Moorman
(Hernando, Ms.)

A tree fell on my pool and busted one of my top rails. The pool is old and my wife had it before we were married. So I have no idea who the manufacturer is. I have the dimensions = 53" long x 8" wide. Do you know of anybody that would carry a rail this size? I included a pic if that helps. Thanks

Hi Jeff

That looks like an old Coleco Pool. Although they were bought by Lomart, it's very doubtful you would ever find parts for it. The best bet would be to take a hammer and try to do some body work on it.

You could call around to all the above ground pool dealers in your area and see if have any extra top rails lying around. You might find one that's a close enough match.

Crease In Upper Part of Pool

by Barry
(Crete, Greece)

A large branch from a neighbours tree landed on the side of our pool.

When we lifted the branch away, we saw that there has been some bashing and buckling of the top and a crease in the wall. This is pretty much above the normal waterline (water is a bit lower now as it is wintering).

Will this affect the overall integrity of the pool, do you think?

What should I do for the best here?

Thanks!

Hi Barry I see no reason why the wall could not be hammered flat and reused. The same with the top rails.