Ground water and the effect on Swimming Pools

The spring of 2017 has turned out to be one of the wettest in recent memory.  For most pool owners, there is little effect, however some pools have drainage problems and depending on their construction, can cause damage.  In-ground vinyl liner pools will develop what looks to be puffiness under the liner. What is actually happening is the water level on the outside is higher than inside the pool and the water migrates under the liner.  In some cases, once the rain stops and water levels drop the liner returns to normal but many pools require pumping the water out from behind.  This usually should be done by a qualified service company.  There are also some potential preventative solutions to the problem. Sometimes just looking at where the water runs during a rain storm and making changes to reroute the water will rectify the problem.  In other cases, more extensive drainage solutions are possible and require a drainage well by the pool and a weeper system to run the water away from the pool.  Failure to correct the problem will cause a shortened life of the liner and in some cases structural damage to the pool.

In the case of both concrete pools and vinyl liner pools, they should only be drained under the supervision of a pool professional.  Poor water drainage and ground water will dramatically affect the potential for structural damage as a pool is drained.  Concrete pools can literally float out of the ground and steel walls can collapse inward without water in the pool.  It is critical that the plug or hydrostatic valve in the main drain be opened if drained.