Fanta Sea Pool Renovation

[Brat1]

This is my first time posting here, so I hope I explain my situation okay.

We have an old Fanta Sea pool in our house, which we moved to in 2011. It has lain empty, with an old ripped liner since then, and we are now in the process of renovating it, but I have a few questions for you guys. Just for your information, we have only been in the US for just over five years and are Scottish, so our knowledge of pools is extremely minimal.

We have cleaned put the old liner, removed the tracks which look in good condition, and had a local company come out to see the condition of the structure, which they said seemed sound and in good condition. We have ordered a Fanta Sea replacement liner, the foam padding for the walls, the felt mat for the floor, tape and adhesive to replace some of the tape that was coming off, and a new pump. Am I missing anything else that we may need?? Also, how easy is the process of installing the liner. I have been watching tutorials online, and although it looks reasonably straightforward, I am nervous about this project due to our lack of knowledge. The solar panels and solar piping seem in good condition too, so we haven't ordered any replacement parts.

Any help, advice or guidance you can give me would be greatly appreciated. It is a really exciting project as we have never had a pool, but I want to make sure that we do it right and that it doesn't end up an expensive disaster. Also, I have no clue how much water this pool holds, it is a 16 x 24 x 4 pool.

Thanks in advance.

[CarlD]

There aren't many of us with FantaSea pools here. I am one of them. I'm in the process of a major rehabbing of my pool--a bit more complicated than yours having a 5.5' deep end. If the local company is not familiar with FantaSeas I'm not sure if their assessment is viable or not. There's a few vital components that must be checked.
1) The base U-channel. It's tough enough and thick enough to tolerate a surprisingly large amount of scale and rust, but too much and the bottom of the pool can bow out. The belly band(s) across the middle under the sane (they will be 16' long on your pool) should also be checked. While down there, be sure the metal is properly bonded (grounded or "earthed").
2) The steel trusses of the super structure that carry the deck and resist the water pressure on the water walls. A couple of people here have had quite expensive repairs with one of the trusses failed, usually an end truss. I found one weak spot in mine and welded in re-inforcing steel before it fails. Also the bolt that hold the side trusses to the end trusses need to be checked. I believe they are Grade 8 or Grade 5. I've forgotten.
3) The "gussets". These are the upright 4x4s with angled 2x4s attached to them that connect the u-channel and upper truss structure. They need to be checked for rot and loose side plates.
4) The Water Walls. These can be 3/4" plastic clad 4x8 sheets of plywood, 4'x4' plastic and aluminum "Space Age Panels" or simply 3/4" 4x8 sheets of pressure treated plywood. Look for rot and deterioration.
5) The copings or "tracks" as you called them, particularly the corners.

You'll find out soon enough if the solar panels leak when you start up the system! (LOL!)

You mentioned a pump but not a filter. You'll need that. What pump did you get?

[Brat1]

Thanks Carl for the quick reply....

Wow, I don't know if the u channel and trusses are okay, and have no idea how to check if they are ��
The company that was out, are well respected in the area, and a lot of us in this neighborhood have Santa Fae's, but they are really expensive, which is why we decided to do the work ourselves.

We bought a Hayward pump, the same model that the previous owner had, and the filter is apparently okay according to the company that was out's appraisal.

I'm beginning to feel that there is a lot we don't know about these pools, so this looks like it's going to be a huge learning curve. Do you think we have bitten off more than we can chew with this, as I said previously, we have minimal knowledge, although our good friend is an electrician and has an inground pool, so I know he will advise us to the best of his knowledge too.....