Pool Repair and Rehab Part 3

Yesterday was The Day of Truth... or rather, the day preparing for Today's Day of Truth, though we truly won't know if the patch will hold properly until we put it through a month's worth of lap swimming, and laughing Grands. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

It was determined pretty quickly that I do not have the strength to hold the pool side up and taut for the patching process, so The Hub improvised.

He's good at improvising.

And he wasn't even a Boy Scout.

Measuring vinyl patch pieces.

Checking size and drawing around them for permanent placement.

 Painting the pool with the adhesive for Patch #1. Man, that stuff stinks. (Note the lack of hat- it was too hot in the afternoon to try to glue anything, so we waited until evening when the pool is in the shadow of the house)

 Painting Patch #1 likewise.

There are no photos of The Patchening Process because I had to help, but it's pretty straightforward: very carefully position the patch and then rub the living shit out of it so it adheres to the pool side, while trying not to inhale (as I said, that stuff stinks... and it'll get you higher than a kite).

Repeat on the inside. Note that The Hub, who does not like swimming, and who would rather not wade in cold water, had to GET INTO THE POOL in order to apply Patch #2. The board was put in place to keep the outside patch flat so that there were no wrinkles on the inside. The Hub may devise a way to keep that board there just for added support to the patch.

Aaaaannnnnd, it's in place.

It's the morning after now, and the patches held, tightening down nicely, with no lifting of the corners or edges even though it rained during the night. The original plan was to apply a 3rd patch up and over the edge of the pool, covering both patches with an additional piece of vinyl, but we ran out of adhesive. This vinyl and adhesive is rated for severe temps (-35 to 180+F) and is water proof, and also flexible and elastic, so these patches may hold by themselves. If not, then we'll get more adhesive and apply the additional patch.

This notion may not work, but it was surely worth trying (currently, a new pool liner costs more than we paid for the original setup, pump and heater and all). Today we'll continue filling the pool, and The Hub will get the filter and pump up and running, and after that, Pool Maintenance is my job for the summer.

I'll keep you posted.