An above-ground pool is useless without its liner. The pool liner is basically a large bag made of vinyl that is designed to hold water within the pool's frame. It is the most important part of above ground pools and has the potential to be the most frustrating. Liners must be handled carefully and installed properly to avoid damage to the vinyl. Our basic guidelines for liner installation will help you do it right, whether you're just setting up a new above ground pool or replacing an existing liner.
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illiniois22 Posted: 8/4/2014
We bought a replacement liner for our 15' x 54" pool overlap style and the bottom of the liner touches all the way around but the top seems to be to short. The walls are level but as we got the liner on finally we got about 6 inches of water in and the liner pulled out of the top. What do i need to do here?Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 7/28/2014
Poolbroke - Not sure what's going on here. The weight of the water against the angle of the cove should keep the cove down into the corner. You might look in the HW store to see if they have water resistant tape.Reply
Poolbroke Posted: 7/26/2014
Hi. We are attempting to fill our pool for the 3rd time. The cove is floating to the top of the liner as we add water. I assume it didn't stick well since the area was moist and the pool not round. There is no track at the bottom. is there any other way to secure the cove?Thanks
FWN
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InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 7/14/2014
Daina - I would keep fill the pool to about half to add stability to the wall and keep the wind from blowing it in.Reply
Daina Posted: 7/14/2014
We just installed an above ground pool and began filling it last night. We had some trouble (the wind picked up) and some of our top rail pieces broke. We need to replace them. My question is, how low can the water level stay until we can get the replacement parts in? I would think it would be more risky if the pool was full of water but maybe I'm wrong.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 6/30/2014
sca41118 - Glad we could help. You have a great day too and hope your installation goes well.Reply
sca41118 Posted: 6/30/2014
Thank you for the number you provided us in May. :) Had some issues getting the liner so we begin today!.... Have a great day!Reply
pool installer Posted: 6/28/2014
One of our responders had the following piece of advice - As an installer for 16 years, Ive noticed some liners are made with too much liner material, either circumference wise or height wise. If your beaded liner is hitting the wall all the way around and there are still wrinkles in the floor or wall, its probably a manufacturing defect. A liner should be able to be hung from the outside and a vac used as you hit the liner at the base with a pool brush. The liner will be stretched like a drum across the floor. Ive went through 5 liners on one install and finally got one that fit that was from a different batch number, same manufacturer. A professional job will have no wrinkles, and I make sure my jobs are 100% wrinkle free.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 6/18/2014
She - If you have an overlap liner, you will be able to pull some of this excess up. If you have a beaded liner, you should not have a lot of excess. Measure the distance from the bead of the liner and its seam at the bottom of the wall. Then measure the distance from the bead receiving groove to the floor of the pool. These measurements have to be the same. For the skimmer hole, see our guide on "How To Assemble an Above Ground Pool - Part 6 - Installing the Skimmer".Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 6/18/2014
nobowtie88 - I'm not sure what liner you have that you are calling a J-hook. See Step 2 in this guide "How To Install a Beaded Pool Liner for an Oval Pool". Most J-hook liners are now sold as dual purpose uni-bead liners that are either fitted into a bead receiver track or can be hung like an overlap liner. If you use the bead, you first strip off the J-hook portion that's above the bead. If your liner is a j-hook only, it will not fit into the bead track. You would have to pull off the bead track and secure the over-the-top j-hook with liner clips. See also this picture of "Above pool liner options".Reply
She Posted: 6/18/2014
We have our pool up side vertical stabilizers too wall rail and have began to fill the pool the liner seems a little loose on the sides is this normal will it tighten up as water begins to fill or is tere something we need to do to help it ? Also very nervous about cutting the liner for the skimmer hole any tips?Reply
nobowtie88 Posted: 6/17/2014
much like feeling frustrated, we replaced the liner in our pool for the first time (it appears to be a j-hook). Once the water reached 10" the liner fell in. We used bead lock and even spring clamps to hold in place. The original liner had a "rigid" bead, the replacement did not. I have not seen anything similar. I am now understanding that the original liner was an inground liner. Looking for a similar size inground liner (18x33), but don't see any that size. Help!!!!Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 6/13/2014
pool liner - There are two popular pool liners: the beaded pool liner and the overlap pool liner. It sounds like you have the beaded liner. See our guide on "How To Install a Beaded Pool Liner for an Oval Pool" for more information. If you have an overlap pool liner, see our guide on "How To Assemble an Above Ground Pool - Part 4 - Liner Install".Reply
Anonymous Posted: 6/12/2014
We have a used pool that was given to us and we have the outside wall installed but we are trying to figure out how the liner goes. It has white strips with a hook kinda side then there are metal strips too. We can not figure out how it goes. Someone told us the liner just sits on that hook part on the white strips but i don't see how it can hold like that. Please help!Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 5/27/2014
Install Liner - The liners that we sell are designed to attach to the top edge of the wall and secured with coping strips. We do not have a way to secure the liners on a 2" round rail.Reply
Install Above Ground Pool Liner Posted: 5/25/2014
Video was fine but there is no need for the back ground music. It makes it hard to listen to. If the music has to be there turn down the volume please.I have a 20 x 48 soft sided pool, about 7yrs old. Can I attach a liner to this pool? It has a 2inch round top rail.
Thanks
Grant
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InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 5/20/2014
sca4118 - I have not seen anything on cutting a bottom drain into an expandable liner. I suggest calling the manufacturer, GLI Pool Products, to see what they say. Their number is 800-448-2343.Reply
sca4118 Posted: 5/17/2014
We are thinking about installing an 21 x 41 oval above ground expandable pool liner with bottom drain ourselves. We have never done this before and have watched several videos on replacements but did not see any with expandable liners and bottom drains. Although we are pretty handy, Im wondering if you think this would be to much to take on for first timers? Im thinking the most to happen would be having to call someone in after we have most of the work done. LOL. Thank youReply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 5/13/2014
feeling upset - The wedge should be 6" but I don't think that is your problem. It sounds like are your required support pieces may not be installed. Look at our expanded guide on "How To Install an Above Ground Oval Pool - Overview". In this guide look at Parts 6 and 7 for liner prep and installation.Reply
feeling upset Posted: 5/13/2014
we just set up a used pool and installed a new beaded liner. as we start filling it when the water reached approximately 12" the sides gave way. we used sand to wedge the sides, but are now questioning is it is high enough? it is up the wall approximately 2-3 in. What causes this? this is the second time. any suggestions?Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 4/4/2014
Roots – I haven’t heard of this being done, but don’t see why you couldn't try removing part of the liner as long as you are careful.Reply
Anonymous Posted: 4/3/2014
Do I need to replace the pool liner in order to clean out some ground issues (roots) if I am careful not to disturb the area around the skimmer?Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 8/30/2013
Don - The seam is supposed to be near the bottom of the cove. The liner is not designed to stretch. If the liner seam is too far up, the liner will try to stretch to the floor and may break a seam. Is your pool 52 inches high and you're trying to use a 48" liner? Can you drop the liner by reducing the overlap at the top? Or can you add 5" of sand to support the bottom of the liner? Or some combination of the above?Reply
Don Posted: 8/29/2013
I am installing a 21' round liner. The seam around the pool floor does not fall on the cove but rises to the wall of the pool. (cove is about 5" high by 9" wide) Is there a problem that this will present as I fill the pool with water? As I understand it the purpose of the cove is to prevent the liner from "oozing out" under the lower wall rails.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 8/20/2013
Liner install - When you install the liner, the shiny side goes down, rough side up.Reply
Anonymous Posted: 8/17/2013
Just had a liner installed (all blue) but I think it was installed inside-out since it is extremely slippery. Please advise. The rough side is on the pool wall & the shiney side is in the water.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 6/26/2013
Julie - No, you will not be able to use an 18' liner in a 15' pool. There is a seam in the liner at the bottom of the pool wall that has to match the diameter of the pool.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 6/26/2013
Jeff- You could buy the next higher size, like a 52" instead of a 48" to give you more overlap. Don't buy a larger diameter liner. That won't work. Another option might be to build up the sand base 2-3" higher inside the wall.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 6/26/2013
Amanda - I don't see why you couldn't build the sand base up 2" more to compensate for the 2" loss in liner length. Place the coving on top of the sand. I'm assuming that you have the top connectors that accommodate the liner bead.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 6/26/2013
Lepardmama - Hard to tell if it is mold just from the description below, either way Mold can be easily and cheaply treated by spraying warm water with bleach on the affected area and then wiping off. This will kill it. You should also treat the area that the pool is installed in to prevent it from coming back. You can contact a local landscape company or weed control company for advice on treating the area.Reply
Julie Posted: 6/25/2013
When ordering a new liner we thought the pool was 18feet it's not its 15 feet can this work?Reply
Jeff Sloan Posted: 6/25/2013
We replaced our liner several years ago and need to replace it again. When we replaced it we had a terrible time getting enough overlap in the right places. The correct size was ordered. Would it be beneficial to order up a size and have more overlap to work with? ThanksReply
Amanda Posted: 6/25/2013
We have a 30' x 54" round pool. I fell in love with a certain liner pattern I saw online that has been discontinued, so I wasn't able to find a 54" available anymore. I read online that a 52" unibead liner would work in a 54", if you build the cove up higher than what is normally suggested. I was just wondering if anyone has ever done this before? Or, if anyone has any suggestions on the best way to go about doing this?! And, if it makes a difference, we plan on using sand, a foam cove and a gorilla pad.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 6/23/2013
cs - Unfortunately we do not sell Doughboy pools and are not familiar with their products. We would recommend calling Doughboy direct.Reply
Lepardmama Posted: 6/23/2013
We are replacing our pool liner which was originally installed by Pool Shoppe. The entire bottom is styrofoam as well as the coved siding, unfortunately, we are seeing black staining on the cove, is this mold and how do we clean it prior to replacing liner?Reply
cs Posted: 6/22/2013
we have a 16X32 doughboy oval pool. We replaced the liner a couple years ago, but have had problems with the liner coming out of the track on each end. Can we replace sections of the bead receiver in sections? Also does the liner lock really work to keep the liner in place?Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 6/5/2013
Chris - Not sure how the liner pulls away from the top. Do you have the top rails off? Assuming this is an overlap liner, can you tape the top of the liner on the outside of the wall to hold it in place? Did you push the bottom edge of the liner to the wall before you refilled it?Reply
Chris Posted: 6/5/2013
I drained my above ground pool to clean the liner and wish i hadn't now. When i add water it gets about half way up and the liner oulls away at the top. How can i get the liner to stay up?Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 6/5/2013
LT - Yes a large hole under the liner will be a problem. Try filling the hole with sand using a funnel through the liner. This will leave a small hole in your liner that can be easily patched.Reply
LT Posted: 6/4/2013
help. i just noticed all the water in my above-ground pool has spilled out due to a rip in the lining. come to find out there is a large hole underneath where the lining ripped. i noticed the hole was there before it ripped but the pressure must have finally caused it to rip the lining. my pool is very large. is this going to be a bigger problem with the hole that got bigger now from the water that spilled out? thanks.Reply