I recently purchase a home with a 18x33 above ground pool. Today I noticed a small stream of water leaking from one of the walls of the pool. It has already turned cold here and the pool is closed for the winter. Actually, the pool was not opened at all this year since the seller of the home moved out back in July while he was selling it. I am not sure what to do to fix the leak. The pool is already at least 1.5 inches lower than a couple weeks ago when I looked at it and I am worried that if I do not do something quickly to stop the leak, the pool will drain itself completely.

The pool is approx 15 years old and has not had the liner replaced so I would be willing to replace the liner. My only problem is that it is an average of 30 degrees at night and 45-50 during the day here already and the water is extremely cold, so the thought of trying to locate the hole and patch it does not sound pleasant. Should I replace the liner? I have been told that I could replace it myself. I would consider myself a very handy person, but I have very little knowledge of pools. I looked at the liner and it appears to be the kind that overlaps the top of the pool walls. My understanding is that I remove the plastic pieces covering the tops of the walls and unhook the liner. I remove the old liner and make sure that the material underneath is smooth and free of rocks and things. Then lay the new liner into the pool and reassemble. Someone mentioned that I would need a special vacuum to ensure no air under the liner, but I am not sure how that would work, considering this is an above ground pool.

I am working under the understanding that I cannot drain the pool and wait until spring to replace the liner. Is this correct for an above ground pool?

Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I don't really have a good solution for patching the hole when it is cold. If the water gets to low in the pool the wall will cave in.

As far as replacing the liner it can be a challenge if you have never seen it done before. But then again it is not that hard. You are correct where you said you first remove the plastic top then remove the old liner, be sure to temporary support the walls somehow when there is no water in the pool. Also it is best not to do this on a windy day. Like you said be sure to smooth out the bottom and be sure that no rocks are present. A good way to smooth out the bottom is to use sand and concrete trowls.

When putting the liner back in you will need an ordinary shop vac (more horse power the better). Place the new liner in the pool and install the plastic strips that hold the liner to the walls. Be sure that you maintain an even overlap all the way around the pool. Then place the suction hose of the shop vac through the return hole and down to within a couple inches from the bottom of the pool, use duct tape to temporarily seal around the return hole and hose. Place duct tape over the skimmer hole. At this point you should have a pretty good air tight area under the liner. Turn on the shop vac and you should see the liner pull back towards the wall. Start adding water. You will probably have to walk around the exterior of the pool multiple times pulling up on the liner trying to pull out the wrinkles in the bottom. Once you have about 3-4 inches of water in the pool you can pull the hose out, otherwise you will have a hard time pulling the hose out when the pool if full of water. After the pool is full of water then install the skimmer plate and return plate.

Hope this helps.