A Pennsylvania Pool’s Last Stand

It started with a phone call on a Tuesday.

West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a borough near Pittsburgh, home of 100-year old Kennywood amusement park, a 650-acre steelworks (a division of U.S. Steel), and more than a few above ground swimming pools.

Early August 2018, Mr. Lyle, the owner of an above ground pool, was at work when he got a frantic call from his son. “Dad! You know that pool of yours…it has, well, exploded!” Mr. Lyle was speechless. He spent the rest of the day in a daze, distressed by visions of exploding pools, and the Yuengling® (Pennsylvania’s popular lager) he’d enjoyed, floating on a duck-shaped inner tube.

Mr. Lyle, shocked and dismayed at the state of his pool. It looks like floating with a Yuengling® lager in hand will have to wait.

Mr. Lyle contacted his insurance company to notify them of the catastrophe. Swimming Pool Inspection Services dispatched Inspector Clark, who spoke with the insured, and arrived at the site of the pool 72 hours later.

Inspector Clark found an empty pool, whose side had split in the area of the pump and its return. The pool had been purchased 18 years prior, and its vinyl liner had been in use 8-10 years. He determined that the pool, pump and liner had been installed correctly. Mr. Lyle had previously done his own version of maintenance, with Flex Seal applied in the area where the pool eventually split. There was a significant amount of rust present that had obviously contributed to the unit’s collapse. The equipment had evidently not sustained damage. A wooden deck next to the pool was unharmed.

Inspector Clark concluded the cause of demise was accumulated rust over time.

Unlike the “Steel Curtin” – the infamous Steelers defense – this seasoned swimming pool could no longer hold the line and buckled under pressure.

After his thorough examination, Inspector Clark put in a bid for a new pool.