What to do the next time my liner needs replacing?

[Riles_J]

I am hoping my liner lasts a while longer yet, but at the time my liner needs to be replaced I am thinking of undertaking some other repairs and was looking for some advice. I have a 16x32 inground grecian pool with about 4' of concrete decking around it. I have two returns and one skimmer along with one port that looks like was dedicated to a suction side cleaner.

1) The concrete decking around my pool is in rough shape and I will probably look at repairing and/or replacing the concrete decking. I guess the coping gets replaced as well at this point. My pool is also not plumb across the length, the shallow end looks like it has settled through the years and there is about a 2" difference between the deep end and the shallow end level. Would it be possible to level this up at this time?

2) The previous owners must have had a leak somewhere in the piping and instead of fixing it they ran new pipe about 1" below grade to the various returns and intakes. The piping they installed is actually 1-1/4. I know because I found one of the pipes when doing some landscaping and had to do a quick repair. I know 1-1/4 seems a little unusual, so I guess I was thinking of doing some replumbing at this point and running new 1-1/2 pipe throughout. Good idea or bad idea?

3) Would it be advisable to add a main drain or is 1 skimmer adequate?

4) I hope to add solar heating in the near future as well, is it best to dedicate a return for the solar or just combine it with the other returns?

5) It feels like the bottom of my pool (under the liner) is just sand? Is that typical? It is soft and seems to be in fairly good shape, but there are some divots, ruts and areas that are quite bumpy. I assume these can be smoothed out before the new liner is installed?

Is there anything else that I should consider when my liner finally decides to give up?

Thanks,

Riles

 

[JasonLion]

I think the answer to all of your questions is "How much money do you want to spend?" If you add everything you are talking about together you are probably approaching the cost of a brand new pool. All of the items you mention will help, but none of them are essential.

1) To relevel the pool the liner must be removed, so best done at the same time as replacing the liner. No question it can be releveled, but it might get expensive.

2) Larger pipes are better and deeper burried is better but if it works do you really need to redo it?

3) A main drain is always better than no main drain, but adding one can be expensive, depending on what is under the floor of the pool. Having just a skimmer works, not ideal but not a big problem either.

4) Having a seperate return for the solar system is better.

5) Sand under the liner is less common these days, but was very common a while back. It will need to be smoothed out for the new liner in any case. You could also replace it with something a little less likely to shift around if you want to spend the money.

 

[Riles_J]

With me the answer to how much do I want to spend is usually "as little as I can", though I do like to do things right.

With releveling the pool I was picturing just pouring the concrete deck at a different elevation on one end (maybe a little thicker). The coping seems to be just a channel that is embedded in the concrete so it would have to be incorporated into the new concrete at whatever elevation I wanted. I must be oversimplifying that.

The new piping I could do myself (I think). This expense seems realtively minor with the concrete work taken out of the equation. The sections I saw when doing some minor repairs reveled three rubber gaskets (the ones with metal clamps) patched over sections that look like had been broken before and a hodge podge of other patchwork. No telling what the other portions looked like.

The main drain I could do without unless the added expense was minor as everything seems to operate fine with just the one skimmer.

Thanks for the responses.

Riles

 

[Guest]

i have a question on the main drain too, i dont have one and with a pool this big i expected 2 so it was a gib surprise not to have one, is there a huge difference in quality of water with or with out one, i guess i asking what is the diffrerence and how is it better or worse with one.

 

[JasonLion]

The key issue is getting good circulation and mixing at different depths. Having a main drain makes that simpler, but it can be done without one. I aim my return down and to the side towards the deep end and if I get the positioning right that mixes things up quite well. If you have a main drain you have more flexibility in where you aim the return.

A main drain is also nice because you can sweep debris into it, and so vacuum less often. Though this can sometimes clog the pump strainer basket if you don't have a leaf canister for the drain.

And finially a main drain is nice because you can use the main pump to lower the water level, instead of needing a seperate pump the moment you get below the skimmer.

 

[Guest]

ok, when we drain my vac line works and when i go lower that that i use a vac hose and send to the bottom of the pool and that worked fine, but about my returns i have 4 of them and the pool guy, before i sent him down to once a month told me to aim them all up to get ripples so all of them are aimed up, should i have them turned down because i have no main drain, i vacume 3 times i week i wish i had a main drain now.

 

[JasonLion]

Yes, without a main drain it is best to aim at least one return somewhat downwards, ideally towards the deep end. Aiming returns slightly up helps the skimmers work better, but getting some deep mixing is important.