Opening a Stock Tank Pool After Winter
I’ve gotten so many questions about our stock tank pool lately and how it held up over the winter. So today’s post will address just that. I also took a short video to show you how it looked and what we did to get it back up and running.
Addressing the issues we found after opening the stock tank pool
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First of all, the 8′ above above-ground pool cover we had purchased for our stock tank pool was a piece of junk. It ripped and failed to perform as expected.
Since the pool is so small, it isn’t a big deal to clean it out, though, and we had it all clean rather quickly.
Below is the pool cover we used last year; it worked a bit better, but still fell short of great. We also had one of those inflatable floating pillows that you put under the cover, but it broke as well.
Video of opening up the stock tank pool after winter
Use the triangle on the image to turn on the video. If you are on a cellphone or other device, turn it horizontally for better viewing. Or you can watch the video on my YouTube Channel.
Cleaning out the debris
We usually pump the water out with an old sump pump and hose to the street gutter since we can’t use the drain on the bottom of the pool like other stock tank pool owners, due to having a pool liner in the pool.
When we cleaned it out this time, there was only a small amount of water in it, though, since we had it drained before the winter. And there were a ton of leaves inside the tank, so we used a shop vacuum instead, which worked great. Make sure to use a shop vac designed for wet use, and remember to remove the filter before vacuuming around water.
Suck out water between the pool liner and the stock tank
We had noticed last summer that water had appeared to seep through the liner and was trapped between the tank and the liner. During the winter, that had gotten even worse. So we needed to find the holes that let the water escape.
To our horror, we noticed a ton of small holes. Some of them were needle-prick-sized and barely noticeable. I only found those holes after the liner was completely dry, and I crawled around with my hand swiping over the liner. This way, I could notice when my fingers got a tiny bit of moisture on them. So this part is definitely recommended in warm sunny weather when the liner is completely dry.
We used our shop vac to suck out the water and a squeegee to help gather the water towards the hole. The squeegee really helped get all the water sucked out that was stuck behind the liner.
Patch the pool liner holes
We bought a vinyl pool liner patching kit last summer and used that to patch those holes. We stopped counting after 15. Can you believe there were that many tiny holes? We were pretty frustrated!
To patch the holes, follow the instructions on the packaging.
One of our friends said he thinks it could be that there are some sharp edges to the part of the tank itself, but I’m not sure that is true. Remember, I had painted the pool with Flex Seal before we decided to add the liner.
The flex seal is rubbery and coated everything on the bottom of the stock tank; there were no sharp edges. And I’m still pretty confident that the Flex Seal protects the liner.
I guess we have to be much more careful when our friends’ little kids run in circles inside the pool, and also cover it better during the winter to avoid any more tiny holes.
Replacing the liner usually poses an easy task for anyone with a free-standing stock tank pool. However, our pool sits wedged into the hill among a pile of stones, which makes the replacement process a bit challenging. (We did recently replace the stock tank pool liner, and it wasn’t as bad as we originally thought. We also added a pool liner pad this time around.)
I guess you could line the tank with a carpet remnant before adding the liner, to see if it would help, but that would make sucking out any water that gets between the tank and liner more difficult.
I also peeled off the old, yucky patches that had developed mold…
… or turned white, which the pool supply store informed me is normal.
Then I cut my patches, added glue, and stuck them tightly on the holes as shown in my video.
UPDATE: In early spring of 2025, when opening the pool after winter, we discovered a very large hole in the pool liner that couldn’t be patched. So we had to renew our stock tank pool liner installation. Check out the entire process in my blog post!
Our pool pump
Another mistake we made was to store the pump in the attic. It was completely dead when we brought it out, and we had to buy a new one.
Next winter, we will store it in a better location. (Update: We stored it in the garage last winter, and it survived 😉
Our fixed stock tank pool after the winter
We are happy to say the pool is up and running for its third summer after fixing the above-mentioned issues.
I added a little solar fountain that I love, and last year, I added a faux stone to cover the pump. Below you can see it without:
And here it is with the rock that survived the rough winter outside nicely. That rock makes all the difference, doesn’t it?
Make sure you check out my blog post about how to hide a stock tank pool pump. And my blog post about where I break down the cost of the stock tank pool setup.
This is it for today. I’m so sick of the unseasonably cold weather here in Pennsylvania. It would be such a welcome change to our routine here to be able to use our tiny backyard resort again.
Tschüß,
can you please post your faux rock source! I am looking too!
Hi Bridget, you just click on the rock photos and it takes you to the source. Good luck
i am so glad you have this hangout for the summer! it will serve you well!
Ugh me too! Maybe the weather will finally get better.
We are looking for a stock tank liner. Where did you get yours?
The one I linked to is the one I bought on Amazon but it’s been sold out for a long time now.
To keep from getting holes in the liner could you flex seal the outside of the liner before putting it in the pool? I have not used that product so I don’t know if it is compatible with the plastic of the liner. Just a thought.
I would like to use this idea in a few years when my husband and I move out to the lake. The lake water is often yucky and I would rather be in clean sparkly water! Could you add some jets and turn this into a hot tub?
Hi Jennifer, some people have turned a stock tank into a hot tub. I’ve seen some tutorials. However, you can not use the flex seal on the liner. It is made for metal.
can you please tell me what you did to winterize your pool? I too have a liner and live in the NE where we get snow. I was just curious as to what I need to do ? Treat it just like an above aground pool? What kind of chemicals do i need to add for the winter? Any advise is appreciated
Hi Kathryn, I didn’t add any chemicals. We just emptied most of the water out and added a cover. That’s it!
can you tell me where you bought your stock tank liner? we have a 6ft stock tank & having a hard time finding that liner size. thank you.
Ugh, I know Glady’s they have been hard to find. I linked to the exact one in my blog post that I purchased. Not sure if it is back in stock now but mine was also for an 8-foot tank.
your landscaping is fabulous! i’m here b/c of the stock tank pool, but have admired the rest of your “resort” as well! thanks for sharing!
Oh thanks so much! I’m glad you like it. We love our tiny back yard so much!
When you say you emptied most of the water to winterize it how much did you empty/leave I just drained my clean and put a pool pillow elevated and cover on it. This is the first year I have a liner so I read that you should leave water in pools because liner can shrink if left empty, but this was mostly for larger pools. Any indie would be appreciated.
Hi there, we had to take out a lot of the water to make the pillow fit under the cover. The pool pillows made for larger and deeper pools. And yes the liner did shrink a bit which ended up being ok since it was a bit wrinkly and large to begin with. Over the winter the stock tank fills up with more water again as it rains and snows. I hope that helps and good luck.