pool liner installation

[AudiFan]

I've had an above ground for the last 25 years and have had to install several beaded liners. They come in two standard sizes, 52" and 48". That is the measurement from the floor (top of the sand) to the rail the bead sits in. The sand should be packed down and smooth. I use a grass roller rented from the local Home Depot for $20. The only trick is draining the water out of it when I'm done so I can get it back out of the pool. I've had the most success with a wet vac sucking the water out of the roller. You can use a preformed cove around the edge but I just take an old right angle bend from a gutter downspout and create a consistant round shape in the sand and then tamp it firm with my shoe. The liner should not be streched at all when installed. It does not have any structural ability. It just seals the water in. The walls hold all the weight of the water. If there is a lot of gap between the wall and the liner you either need more sand or get the correct size liner. If you have a 48" liner it will not fit in a 52" pool. recheck the distance from the bead to the seam for the floor. It should look like this
www websweeper com/ php/ pool_liners/ abg-002 php
Also remember that both the sand floor and the pool itself MUST be level. I hope this helps make the installation go smoother.

[Friend]

this how you fix this problem! Take a wet vac an put the hose of it in between the liner an the wall of the pool hold the liner an the hose have some one to cut on the wet vac an thes will pull the liner tight an get out a wrinkles . It really works ! sucks all thair out an holds the liner tight as a bug in a rug ! Good luck!

[RC]

I started filling my pool (18' x 52") and my walls are buckling, I have 18" of water and am very nervous to continue filling. I am using a beaded liner and have 46.5 inches from cove to rim. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
In the mean time, I will continue to fill and keep everyone posted

[RC]

After waiting overnight, I started to fill the pool again at 1200pm. The sun wasn't out, but it was hazy and humid. The liner has streched and the buckles are diminishing. Currenty I am at 38" of water. everything is looking good.
So I guess to anyone out there having this problem, don't panic. This seems to be normal behavior when installing beaded liners below 60 degrees F.

[litoq]

I'm installing a pool as well (27' round, 54" walls, Swimline J-liner) and am also worried that the liner or wall will burst.
Even after letting the liner sit in the sun and heat (95 degrees) all day , it still was an extremely tight fit. What pissed me off was that all the instructions provided stated that there should be some slack and the liner should fall flat against the wall, cove and bottom...this was simply not going to happen unless I took a heating gun, melted and stretched the damn thing by hand. Once we finally got it on, I let it hang in the sun again until I thought it was ok to start filling (5 hours later) and figured the weight of the water will help it stretch. I am still filling it up (100 degree sunny day and about 1 1/2' of water) and the liner is still not touching the top of the wall. WTF? The liner install instructions are useles!!
I am finding more valuable information online through forums like this than from any AG pool vendor. Here I am, freaking out that I will soon have a man-made swamp in my back yard. I think the pool manufacturers need to give better and more realistic instructions than the ones provided.
Thanks to all of you for putting my mind at ease (or at least a little at ease...I think I'm going check it again ugh!!). Are all of you sure that the liner will stretch? This is soo nerve-racking!!

[Sumtersicilian]

Seems we're having the same problem as many others. We're replacing our old pool by installing a 24' X 52" Pacifica pool from Rec Warehouse and having issues with the j hook liner. No matter what we do, add fill material, use the vacuum trick, etc. the liner is still not draping like curtains down the wall. We can get maybe 1/2 of the walls tight, but the other half is strectched about 4 inches away from the wall. Seems like a design issue with the j hook liner, just not as forgiving as the overlap. We're afraid to run water in the pool like everyone else. We also have an underdrain that we need to tie into, so the liner needs to be pretty close to dead nuts final install before securing to the bottom drain and installing.
Anyone's advice is appreciated. My wife has had it.

[Surf0590]

We had no problems installing a pool liner overlap liner that is from swimline. We have a 24' round by 48 inch wall. It does have to be a warm day and I also suggest you allow the liner to warm up in the sun after taking out of box. We set the box in center of pool than removed liner and stretch out as much as possible and then let it warm up. It helps if you have at least 3 people.

[Guest]

Glad I have an overlap liner.

Soooo eazy!

[tspearman]

I have to replace my liner this year and don't know which to purchase. I do not like the over lap liner so I was looking at the J-hook type. Does it just hook over the pool wall or do you have to purchase something else for it to hook to? Where can you get the best deal?

Thanks[/b]

[wkmarlette]

Purchased a Genfoam plastics 15'x42" above ground pool, approx. 3800 gallons. Assembled as per instructions and filled. We were able to use pool for about 30 days until the liner developed a small leak which grew larger. Leak was at area where the side wall meets the bottom liner. We drained the pool to see if patching was probable, which wasn't due to location of leak.
We returned pool and got a complete replacement, pool replaced was from same manufacture, same size but seemed to have a different bottom liner mat'l and pump assy, but all else (frame etc. was same).
Long story short, assembled and filled the pool to level , well about a 1/2 hour later the pools bottom liner split open to a width of 3 ft at the same seam where side wall and the bottom liner are connected, Needless to say 3800 gallons rushed out and did considerable water damage to a neighbors home. Pool was not even used. Anybody have similar problems? Mfg was Gen Foam Plastics.
We thank you for your replies.

[DW]

This is a pins and needles experience for me too. My pool was looking good and I took pics of it only to start having inward buckling in two spots. Now it seems obvious to me that I can't walk away from this thing for a moment because this is a fight all the way to the end just to get it completed. So, I stopped filling it for now to try and nurse this liner into place. I am in a holding mode because I don't feel like destroying a 18' x 52" $2200.00 pool minus install materials ect. I feel like this is not healthy to keep getting little surprises that seem to dash that excitment, excitment that one expects to get from putting up a new pool and then swimming in it. The only thing I may have done that was wrong might be not letting the liner bake in the sun somewhat, opened up and spread out a little to let it cook. I have been going through all the motions for 5 to 6 days to get this up and you might not expect a liner to give this much trouble especially when the seem is lined right up to the middle of the cove all the way around like it is supposed to be. I was told by the dealer that I could go 2 inches below grade in the middle and so I did, I was told there wouldn't be any problem doing this, and the proof is that the seams location at my foam cove is correct and liner is starting to touch the cove all the way around besides. The inpression I get is that the liner would still bulge out and try and buckle the walls if perfect level to grade in the middle. The liner apears to be made to give a nice and virtualy wrinkle free look, and it is very pleasing to the eye but a pain to install for sure. Now, I am just going to wait in a holding pattern you might say, until the sun bakes it and see if the walls start to look normal again. Let you all know what happens and if it works out or not. Sad for now, DW

[Guest]

Still not real comfortable that it will stretch, my liner appears to small or something seems like, no extra material for proper fit, but the AG pool guy on here with 35 years or so experience states to us in general that it will. My problem is that the liners don't seem to be made correctly. In the early seventies my dad would not leave our 50 year 24' round Doughboy up during the winters because he insisted on taking it down every year for about 5 years until he decided to sell it. I remember every square inch of that pool and the liner fit right back in, and this was even after it was cleaned and air dried, each year, in the sun for several days, I used to play under it as it was draped over the clothes line pole and monkey bars we had to play on so I know for certain. So, I'm with you that this is nerve racking beyond anything I could have imagined! I wish I could help more right now but this is a steep curve for me as well, I can't offer much more other than moral support and good wishes at this point. My dealer was closed today, Monday, so I'm curious to see what they say tomorrow, I don't expect much help since they could have given me a heads up on this part of the job to begin with. I am a little at ease also but not fully at ease for sure.
Good luck to you, DW

I'm installing a pool as well (27' round, 54" walls, Swimline J-liner) and am also worried that the liner or wall will burst.
Even after letting the liner sit in the sun and heat (95 degrees) all day , it still was an extremely tight fit. What pissed me off was that all the instructions provided stated that there should be some slack and the liner should fall flat against the wall, cove and bottom...this was simply not going to happen unless I took a heating gun, melted and stretched the damn thing by hand. Once we finally got it on, I let it hang in the sun again until I thought it was ok to start filling (5 hours later) and figured the weight of the water will help it stretch. I am still filling it up (100 degree sunny day and about 1 1/2' of water) and the liner is still not touching the top of the wall. WTF? The liner install instructions are useles!!
I am finding more valuable information online through forums like this than from any AG pool vendor. Here I am, freaking out that I will soon have a man-made swamp in my back yard. I think the pool manufacturers need to give better and more realistic instructions than the ones provided.
Thanks to all of you for putting my mind at ease (or at least a little at ease...I think I'm going check it again ugh!!). Are all of you sure that the liner will stretch? This is soo nerve-racking!!

[Guest]

Or should I say, hope you had good luck. What ever happened?

Still not real comfortable that it will stretch, my liner appears to small or something seems like, no extra material for proper fit, but the AG pool guy on here with 35 years or so experience states to us in general that it will. My problem is that the liners don't seem to be made correctly. In the early seventies my dad would not leave our 50 year 24' round Doughboy up during the winters because he insisted on taking it down every year for about 5 years until he decided to sell it. I remember every square inch of that pool and the liner fit right back in, and this was even after it was cleaned and air dried, each year, in the sun for several days, I used to play under it as it was draped over the clothes line pole and monkey bars we had to play on so I know for certain. So, I'm with you that this is nerve racking beyond anything I could have imagined! I wish I could help more right now but this is a steep curve for me as well, I can't offer much more other than moral support and good wishes at this point. My dealer was closed today, Monday, so I'm curious to see what they say tomorrow, I don't expect much help since they could have given me a heads up on this part of the job to begin with. I am a little at ease also but not fully at ease for sure.
Good luck to you, DW

I'm installing a pool as well (27' round, 54" walls, Swimline J-liner) and am also worried that the liner or wall will burst.
Even after letting the liner sit in the sun and heat (95 degrees) all day , it still was an extremely tight fit. What pissed me off was that all the instructions provided stated that there should be some slack and the liner should fall flat against the wall, cove and bottom...this was simply not going to happen unless I took a heating gun, melted and stretched the damn thing by hand. Once we finally got it on, I let it hang in the sun again until I thought it was ok to start filling (5 hours later) and figured the weight of the water will help it stretch. I am still filling it up (100 degree sunny day and about 1 1/2' of water) and the liner is still not touching the top of the wall. WTF? The liner install instructions are useles!!
I am finding more valuable information online through forums like this than from any AG pool vendor. Here I am, freaking out that I will soon have a man-made swamp in my back yard. I think the pool manufacturers need to give better and more realistic instructions than the ones provided.
Thanks to all of you for putting my mind at ease (or at least a little at ease...I think I'm going check it again ugh!!). Are all of you sure that the liner will stretch? This is soo nerve-racking!!

[akagmac]

Greg here,I noticed some of the problems and concerns when installing a liner.I'm a pool contractor have been for over 30 years. When installing an above ground pool, it is imperative that the pool is truly round in shape. I have had many people (weekend warriors) call me and tell me that their liner will not fit. it's too tight at one side and the wall is buckling. If, for example,you are installing a 24ft pool make sure the radius is 12ft. some pools my be 11'9" especially if their Canadian. Get it as close as possible and STAKE the track so it doesn't move around when your putting up the wall. When you put the wall up, it should come together within an inch or so at the end.You can take a screwdriver and stick it in the track and turn it so the wall comes together. My point here is, if the shape of the pool is suppose to be round and it's egg shaped then the liner will not fit properly.
When installing the liner I use a shop vacuum. Put the vac hose in the return hole in the wall. It's the round hole next to the skimmer about 2" in dia.Keep it about a foot from the cove. Take duct tape and tape off the skimmer and return with the vac hose in it. This will give the pool an air tight seal. Now, lay the liner out in the pool and center it as best you can.(It's best to do this on a nice sunny day 70 degrees or more.You can also lay the liner out in the yard before you put the wall up and let the sun"bake the liner" this makes the liner pliable)If it's an overlap, start to hang the liner over the wall(about 6-8 inches) use spring loaded clothes pins their the best for "hanging the liner". once the liner is in, turn the vac on and watch the magic. The vacuum will suck the air out and set your liner .It will be sucked tight to the cove.You will have to walk along the wall and kick the liner to the wall to get the excess liner and wrinkles out. Adjust the over hang of the liner on top of the wall so it's tight and wrinkle free. Start the plastic coping and the water leaving the vac on untill you have about 2-3 inches of water in the pool.After that, pull the vac hose out and continue filling.
NOTE: The wall will buckle a little because of the vacuum but don't worry.If you can't work the liner because the vac is to strong,turn it off for a couple of minutes and let the liner loosen up (repeat if necessary)I use a 2 horse vac.The beauty of this is that the vacuum will set your liner so you don't have to worry if you think the liner is too tight.Also, when you turn the vac off, the liner will loosen up and not look good don't panic the water will take care of that you already set the liner. Good Luck

[topbloke]

hi there,give us the brand of your pool and size.
i shall help you to install it without any problem.
I am in pool liner business for 15 years.
regard topbloke