Pool School PRO:

Prep Work for a New Liner

To avoid Winter wear and tear, new liners are traditionally installed in the Spring. Also stirring at this time of year, wasps and hornets are drawn to pool post caps, elevated decks and rails as their proximity to water make them ideal nesting sites. Great care must be taken when you first dismantle an above ground pool.

Take the new liner package into the house a day prior to installation. The warmer you keep vinyl, the more workable it becomes.

Before you remove the old liner, examine the top edge of the vinyl for loosened areas, where the liner has pulled, or threatens to pull, itself out of the liner lock. Vinyl fails most often because either the height of pool walls are under estimated or natural settlement is not considered and the vinyl material must stretch to make up the difference.

Understand that new vinyl is reasonably forgiving and will stretch under the weight of water. Quality 28+ ply vinyl remains stretchable for 5-9 years; cheaper 20 mil, much less. Assuming the new liner has the same general dimensions as the old liner, it too will loosen as the vinyl loses its stretchability. By building up the floor in these areas, you'll avoid this imminent failure.

First, check the levelness of the pool supports. You can do this before you drain the pool by cutting a slit in the liner at each post and marking the level with an all purpose pen or with a water level after the liner is removed.

Start at the skimmer, using a Phillips head (+) screwdriver to remove the skimmer face plate and gasket. Move to the return jet(s) and remove the face plate and gasket. If there is a main drain, remove this face plate and gasket, also. On each side of the skimmer panel, remove both post caps and rail. The liner should pull easily from the liner lock. Replace the rail and rail caps. By reassembling the pool as you remove the liner, you maintain structural integrity. In other words, the frame doesn't flop around.

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