The cable for my safety pool cover snapped under weight of the snow/ice here in NJ. It revealed that the pool water level is MUCH lower than where it was when it was closed in the fall. There’s a leak somewhere which will need to be investigated when warmer weather arrives. In the meantime, I think I need to put more water in the pool NOW in order to preserve the wall integrity. Can anyone confirm and, if so, does anyone perceive any downside risks to doing that? Thanks, Scott
As long as the pool was properly winterized, there is no reason to not add water if it appears too low. If the pool loses enough water that it will continually drop even when you fill it, adding a plastic tarp/sheet of plastic covering the pool and adding water on top of that may help keep water in until you can determine the source of water loss.
You are correct to be concerned – a gunite swimming pool and a fiberglass swimming pool ALWAYS needs water to avoid shifting and potential pool pop outs from hydrostatic pressure and changing ground stability. A vinyl liner pool can be more forgiving in that a liner that loses too much water may need to be replaced but the integrity of the pool walls and plumbing are often fine due to the way they are constructed.
Good luck!
A previous bit of advice on empty gunite pools: