+ Home » + STRUCTURE » + Swimming Pool Structural Problems » + Vinyl pool "damaged"?   Previous Topic    Next Topic   advanced Posted:  10/15/2009 12:06 PM #24902 tb02lax Member       Total Posts:1 Last Post:10/15/2009 Member Since:10/15/2009 Subject: Vinyl pool "damaged"? Just trying to get some opinions and some ideas... My pool guy does work on the side from his regular pool cleaning gig. He is really quite awesome at what he does, but he made a pretty fatal mistake and left the hose running for 2 days while I was gone (just bought the house, remodeled the inside, and was away to let the fumes clear from paint and poly on the floors)... so this mistake did not occur on company time. I came home to find my yard and pool deck under 2-3 inches of water with the hose still running, and my vinyl liner pulled away and collapsed at two ends of the pool (oval, inground, roughly 16 x 30). The liner is old - at least 15 years. No doubt it needed to be replaced in a few years. The steps had some wear, but he confirmed that there were no leaks. He admitted his mistake and is by no means trying to shirk his responsibility to pay what he can, but he had his regular pool company boss come out to my house and provide an "expert opinion," and they are now both saying that the vinyl liner should be able to handle overflow, and that there is major structural defects to the wall behind the pool and he is at fault to a very minimal degree, and I should call my homeowners insurance company to have it covered (I just bought the house!). He doesnt seem to realize the cost implication of just CALLING the insurance company - even if they refuse to honor the claim, vice replacing the liner himself. 1. I live in Tampa, and there is always ground shifting and major storms, with several hurricanes a few years ago. The liner had yet to come away from the wall. He was able to show a 1 cm shift at one point on the pool wall, but to me that seems that may be normal for this area, and because of this one of the benefits of having a vinyl pool. To me, it just looks old, needs resurfacing underneath, and replacement of the liner. Not a complete install of a fiberglass or concrete pool, and it certainly didn't need a replacement so soon. My pool screen repair guy said I had at least another 3-4 years on my liner, as he also has a vinyl-lined pool. 2. I said I would be more than happy with the same liner being tacked back into the coping, with the appropriate foam or backing applied. But he stated that any vinyl liner would not work again. I can't quite understand his point on this. 3. The common theme of the argument is "a pool is made to handle overflow." My point is, ANY pool is meant to handle overflow, but it isn't meant to be underwater and completely saturated from the outside (to include MY YARD) for 2 days straight. Its not a boat! I can understand minor bubbling or creasing of the liner, but half the liner fell into the pool! He offered to pay my deductible and all, but I'm not sure he realizes that all the additional costs associated with calling my insurance company for his mistake is not worth the hassle, especially if a new vinyl liner will do for another 5 years so I can eventually replace the pool with fiberglass or concrete at a later date. I'm worried that by foregoing a possible easier (or more efficient) fix will break the bank for both my pool guy AND me. Any thoughts on this are appreciated. Reply Posted:  10/16/2009 1:16 PM #24903 JohnT Member Total Posts:1534 Last Post:11/2/2009 Member Since:7/11/2005 A 15 year-old liner has been on borrowed time for years. I would be shocked if you could get anything close to 20 years out of a liner, especially in a sunny climate. IMO if you can work it out so he can install a new liner and only charge you for the liner, you'd be getting a deal. The only way water outside the pool is usually a problem is when it gets higher than the water inside the pool. Normally, the water pressure inside is the same as that outside, so the boat analogy doesn't float (sorry, I couldn't resist) It's more like a sunken boat; the water has almost no effect since it's inside and outside both. If your yard has any grade at all, the amount of water from running a hose for two days shouldn't do much more than green-up the grass, so it sounds like your yard is almost bowl shaped. That will be a real problem with any pool type, especially in a coast area with the potential for tropical storms or hurricanes. Replacing the pool with fiberglass or concrete will be very close to an entirely new pool build. The only real difference will be in the amount of dirt that is hauled off. Bad situation for both of you. 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