Filling and liner stretching

[The Raddish]

Yeah, that's how mine is. Barely two inches on two opposing ends. I'm putting on the coping strips this evening, even though I have about a foot of water left to go. I'm waiting on the gaskets for my drain before I install the drain and the return, but I think I can get the liner stretched over the wall tonight and maybe start on part of the beauty ring once I get all the coping strips in place.

I'm going to pour some more bleach in the water after the sun goes down and agitate it as best I can. The filter gaskets should be here tomorrow, so hopefully I can get the filter and return cut in and get some water moving tomorrow evening.

[hrsdennis]

Hi Raddish, sounds like it is all going well. Good luck with the coping and top rails this evening.

I agree Matt on both points. Above ground pool fittings should never need caulking. It just makes a mess when it comes time to change the liner.

There is a trend for oval liners to be short on the ends and wide from side to side. But vinyl stretches so easily it does not have to be a problem.

Later, Dennis

[The Raddish]

Any words of wisdom for dealing with coping strips over the seam on a metal pool? Between the seam and the duct tape and the liner, it's about 3/8" thick there. Should I just shove coping over it as best I can?

[hrsdennis]

Hi, that's all I do. Force it on and then put the rod over it.

[The Raddish]

Well, I tried and tried and tried. Ain't no way in hell that the rod is going over that seam, with or without the coping strip. I did get the coping strip over it, but the rod simply will not go no matter what I do.

The seam is behind one of the vertical supports, and the sheet metal plate thingie easily spans the distance between the two rods, so is it alright to just leave it like that? It's about an inch and a half uncovered by the rod, but covered by a stressed coping strip.

Also, the rods seem to be lower than they were before. When I put them on tonight, they are too low to fit under the uprights. I actually have to raise them about 1/4" so that they rest on the tracks in the uprights. Is that normal?

[hrsdennis]

Nothing wrong with doing it that way. And it is pretty common for the rods to have to come up a touch to fit the uprights.

It all sounds good.

Dennis

[The Raddish]

hrsdennis, I really appreciate all of your reassuring posts. It really makes me feel better about the whole project when all of my little "oops" are pretty much normal to someone who does this for a living.

Thanks for all of your encouragement! I'll post pics when I finally get this thing done.