replacing vinyl liner / pool construction questions

We bought our home in August 2008 and it has an rectangle IG vinyl liner pool.

There are some very small sinks and irregularities in the bottom of the deep end that have been there since we purchased and have not grown or gotten worse. Also a few wrinkles in the shallow end (again that have not gotten any worse). AND, a few bleached out spots where it looks like someone dropped a puck right on the liner.

In one corner of the shallow end, a few inches of the liner has pulled out of the track under the coping, but again, it's been that way since we purchased and has not gotten any worse. There are no leaks or other damage that we're aware of.

The pool has no light and no bottom drain (is this common?). The only place we can find for water to come in/out are the two return jets and the skimmer basket. Our yard slopes down from street level, to our home, to our pool, to the back part of the yard. There is a creek/swamp in the woods behind our house and we live in a very wet area in general -- we get more than 5' of rain per year (not counting any hurricanes, which can make that number jump drastically).

So my questions...is a vinyl liner pool "okay" for our area? Would it better to switch to something else?

How soon do we need to replace our liner? If we have no leaks or issues other than the cosmetic issues we currently have, can we safely wait until this fall (or even longer until next fall)?

Is there a reason we don't have a drain or a light? Is it an issue to add either of these?

Do liner installations generally include new coping? Ours is some kind of metal and leaves a powdery white substance on skin, rafts, and bathing suits whenever you touch it.

What questions do I need to ask when I have contractors come out?

Is there a time of year that is optimal to make the change? Ideally, I would love to wait until October, which is our "dry" month.

We have a Hayward sand filter -- is there something that is better/easier?

I wanted to run all of this by you so I'm somewhat educated before I start getting quotes! Thank you!

I can't answer all of your questions, but I can offer opinions on a few...

Every pool I've seen has some footprints and irregularities under the liner. Most of the bottoms are sand and it shifts around over the life of the pool. When I had my liner replaced this year, a basic smoothing job of the sand (in my case sand/concrete mixture that had to be patched due to those irregularities) is included in the quote. Make sure you ask that question when interviewing contractors....

IN most cases, if the liner hasn't pulled too far out of the track, you can use a butter knife and spoon (usually requires 2 people) to stretch it back up and re-seat it in the track. Do this in the heat of the day when the sun will help the liner be more pliable and apt to stretch.

A vinyl liner pool is fine for your area, but be aware that if you ever decide to drain it, that the liner will "float"--so don't completely drain it until you're ready to replace the liner! My pool in Louisiana is liner and I don't have light or main drain either. Don't need it. Don't have any idea how much of a problem it is to add..

If you have no leaks in your liner, and can put up with the cosmetic problems, there is no need to replace it. My new liner installation came with new coping, but again that's something you need to ask the contractor about. Wrinkling is commonly caused by water leaking under the liner, and also commonly caused by letting the pH get too low--if you've got bleaching from pucks in the water, that's probably your problem.

As for when to replace the liner, that's up to you. Obviously you wouldn't want to do it during swim season if it's not necessary. The contractors start getting their new year liner models in about March, so if you go Jan/Feb, often you can get good sale prices on last year's liners. In Louisiana, you can often get a price break if you get it done before Mardi Gras, but I doubt that matters in Alabama.

I also have a Hayward sand filter--sand filters do a pretty good job of fine filtering. A DE filter will filter much finer stuff and "polish" the water better, but they're a PITA to maintain, compared to sand...and you can always throw a handfull of DE into your sand filter to get the DE quality. Cartridge filters are also a PITA when it comes to cleaning-- as far as ease of maintenance, sand filters are really the easiest.

Janet

Thanks so much, Janet!

We're actually in Mobile -- so Mardi Gras is a big deal here, so I may use that little tip as well.

The wrinkles were here when we moved in (as were the bleached out spots from the trichlor pucks) and haven't gotten any worse since we moved in, so I imagine they are both a product of the previous owner's care (or lack thereof -- it was a foreclosure, and they took as much care of the house as they did the pool!).

This is all VERY helpful and makes me feel better. The pool maintenance company we were using last year was pushing hard to get us to put in a new liner, but based on your responses, it sounds as if we don't have to until we either have a problem or want to.

To add a little to what Janet said about floating the liner. As soon as the water level in the pool goes below the ground water level the thing can float. So, if you do need to drain some to dilute water or for whatever reason try and do it when the surrounding ground is dryest.
On the main drain and light, they are another source of leaks and problems. A main drain makes keeping the water cleaner easier and lights are nice. If I ever get the ambition I'd tap into the skimmer line and add valves and a suction feed just off the pool deck so I can hook a homebrew thing to drop in the deep end and perform the function of a main drain. Take it out when the pool is occupied.
Al