Vinyl lined pools have steel galvanized pool walls 98% of the time. These steel pool walls are supported by “A” frames or “X” bracing at the back of the panels to support them and keep the straight. These types of pools are also designed to always be full of water which helps support the walls outward. The steel pool walls are also supported by a concrete footing that locks the walls in place and forms one continuous unit instead of having individual panel segments making everything stronger.
Pool Walls Caving In Due to Leaking Water
Your pool can cave in for multiple reasons, but the main culprit is leaking water. Problems with these pool walls moving are most of the time related to water loss from the pool. This causes frost heaving and the pool walls to creep inwards over time and also destroys concrete and older style plastic coping. A lot of pools were built without concrete footing and these are a lot more prone to wall movement from frost. Once the steel pool walls push in, there is no way to push them back out without damage. The backfill from behind the walls sinks down and prevents them from being able to be pushed back.
Pool floor and slope cave in are usually a result of soils that are eroded and saturated with water from a long term leak. If you are adding more than ¼” a day of pool water you probably have a leak. This saturated under burdening soil under your liner can start to cave in once your pool liner begins to float from the pressures being equalized inside your pool and behind your vinyl pool liner.
The only option is to remove your concrete pool deck, excavate the fill, and pull the walls back. This is an extensive project and financial commitment is needed.
Pictured to the right is a pool we renovated where it had been neglected for many years. The deep end slopes slid down and undermined the steel vertical walls. This was alot of work to bring back to new condition. He hauled about 4 yards of mud and sand out of that pool before we were able to do any renovations. I threw in the before/after picture so you could see it is possible to make it look new again!
If you think your pool has a leak, check out our Step by Step Guide on How to Find a Pool Liner Leak.
Trees Causing Pool to Shift
Trees close to the pool that suck up a lot of ground moisture can also cause your pool to become out of level. When you have a large tree close to your pool that removes a lot of moisture from the soil, the ground will shrink causing your pool to sink and shift. The reverse can happen if that tree is cut down and the ground then becomes saturated.
If you think your pool walls are caving in, contact us today for a free quote.