All wet...well, not yet

Damn, hubris bites. Especially when it is my own.

I could blame my work. I emailed in this morning that I would be a bit late. You see, we were nearly done setting up the new soft-sided pool (a big one, 14'x26'x52") and I had to complete the pump/filter connections this morning. Then the missus notices that the pool is really, seriously bowing in along the middle of the long sides. We're both wondering just how bad will that be as the water fills it? So, we decide to put a few blocks of pressurized wood under a few of the supports. We bought enough to go under all of the supports and that was our original plan but it didn't seem necessary. Well, I get a rather quick response from my boss that the program I just put into production is kicking out bad data and I'm needed ASAP. Left unsaid is the recent talk we had about the many hours here and there I've been missing for various family needs.

So, back to the pool. We think that if we prop up the middle supports with the wood blocks it will help level the pool. I do about four on one side and three on the other, just where it was sagging the most or the poles were really loose with too much slack. The wife is not sure and suggests that we (and by "we" she means me) put blocks under all the poles. It sounds like a good idea but I'm already running way late for work and I gotta get out of there, besides the pool finally looks completely level like never before. I go off to work and we start the filling of the pool.

This evening as I get home it is about a foot deep and the middle sections are now sagging inward. We figure that as the water level rises, they will bow back out. We continue to fill the pool. Now, about twelve hours after we first turned on the hose, the sag is even worse and the wife and I are getting worried. I do a google on "soft sided pool" and "filling" and I discover a little tidbit: "Important: if you use blocks, you must use them under ALL supports to prevent undue stress on the frame." Well, Jesus H. Tap-dancing Key-rist on a pony! There's about 18" of water in my pool now and I've got to either pull the blocks out or put new ones under those supports without any. I go around to the far side and discover that the ground is flooded. I check for air bubbles from the pool thinking maybe the stress cause a seam to split but I see no sign of damage. It must be from my backyard neighbors. I've had that happen before. But this also tells me that I cannot remove the blocks because that side will often be soggy. No, I need to block every support.

So now, I've rigged a siphon hose and the pool is draining. I doubt it'll be empty enough by 6am tomorrow (that's when I'd be available before work to fix the pool) for me to work on it. This will be very disappointing to my daughters but then if we were to break the pool, it would be even more disappointing and expensive.