Installing New Liner

[newbie2pools]

Can anyone tell me if it's overly difficult to install a vinyl pool liner in an above-ground pool? Of course the pool store is discouraging it, saying it needs to be vacuumed to the side. The liner that is in the pool now that I'm replacing I've already drained and I notice that it slopes in the corners. Is that natural? I've attached a really bad drawing to kinda demonstrate. Thanks!

Pam

[Watermom]

It is harder than it looks to get it in there wrinkle free. Our last liner we installed ourselves with the help of a few friends. We did the best that we could, but we did have a few small wrinkles in the bottom. When we replaced our liner last summer, we decided to go ahead and let somebody else do the installation and I have no wrinkles. A lot of people do install their own liners, but I don't think I ever will again. I'm sure you'll hear from many people in this thread who have done their own. But, like I said above -- it is harder than it looks to get it wrinkle free. Just my opinion. (And, yes, the corners will slope. You can't make a liner do a 90 degree angle.)

[gonefishin]

I've only assisted other people in putting in their liners. From this I came to reason that I will never...never install one myself!

I held true to this when I had my pool put in last spring '06. I had the pool professionally installed by a pool contractor that had been in business for many years. I had some problems with the pool (that I ended up correcting...not them!) and some fairly decent wrinkles in the bottom.

I'm not sure what the answer is on how to get a wrinkle free liner. But I still doubt that I'll be doing my own when it's time to replace it.


Good luck,
dan

[Mom2Czars]

We had our pool (the one that just failed) installed last summer.

All they did was use a shop vac (with a longish hose attached) through the skimmer hole to create the vacuum suction to get the pool liner smooth. Worked like a charm.

[CarlD]

We had two liners installed in our pool. The first was done very nicely and the installed apologized profusely for the few wrinkles. Unfortunately the liner had a flaw and failed 10 days later. The liner company gave me a replacement and paid for a local crew to install it. They made a mess that I am stuck with going into my 5th season. They couldn't manage the sand, and the wrinkles and foot-prints are gross.

My point? I could have done a better job than the 2nd crew, but the 1st one did well.