Liner shift while filling with water

[Addey67]

This is the 2nd time this has happened so far and I can't figure out what the problem is. We installed a new beaded liner in our pool. Everything was set to go, liner went into track no problem. Center seam was dead on, and the wall seam was against the wall all the way around. Most of the wrinkles out and shop vac turned on to set the sides. After about 18" of filling the I looked down and the wall seam on one end of the pool was at least 20" away from the wall under water. I turned the water and the shop vac off and within 1 hour the entire liner on that end came out of the track and continues coming out half way around the pool. I am only filling the pool with water on hot sunny days. It is an 18 x 33 Johnny W. pool. Oh yes one more thing, before we installed the new liner the first time we made sure the pool was level. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

 

[duraleigh]

With the shop vac running, the liner should hold TIGHT against the wall. If it's not, it sounds like water is getting behind the liner.

Hole in liner? Excessive groundwater?

 

[Addey67]

The shop vac works great at holding the liner until there is about 12 inches of water. The liner remains firmly against the wall but it stretches down so that the seam of the liner where the wall meets the bottom moves out a good 12-20" so that it is now part of the floor and not against the wall where the seam should meet. This causes so much stress on the bead track that it comes out along with the bead lock strip. It has been very dry here so ground water is not an issue. After the numerous times attempting to refill the pool after we put the liner back, I have determined that there are no leaks. I should also add that we remeasured the liner and it is the correct size. After 5 attempts I am getting so frustrated I just don't know what to do. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[duraleigh]

As you fill, the liner is obviously filling in a void somewhere to make it walk across the floor. Right?

If the liner fits tight when it is dry and vacuum applied, then how does it move unless it is filling a void somewhere as the water fills. Perhaps a pic would help but I am missing something.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Is there a dished out place in the bottom that the shop vac isn't sucking the liner into?

 

[Addey67]

We filled in the deep end this year before installing the new liner. This is the only thing I can now think of that could be causing this. We contacted our local pool store and they sent us to their guy for the fill. It was a mixture of dirt (clay soil I should say), then mostly a mixture of crushed stone and cement. It was watered and hardened over a period of 2 weeks and finished off with a 3 inch layer of fine sand. Hand tampered and very solid. So hard that while installing the liner you could not even see an indentation of a foot. It remains hard and for the most part level with the rest of the pool maybe 1/2 to 1 inch off.

 

[duraleigh]

Unless I am still missing something, it seems obvious the liner doesn't fit the hole you have prepared for it.

Filling in the bottom certainly could be some of the issue but I still can't imagine that it settled enough to move the floor/wall seam 12-20 inches into the floor of the pool.

For the life of me, I cannot picture the liner fitting snugly all the way around (and on the bottom) and then getting that movement when you add water.

Regardless, the liner doesn't fit is the only plausible explanation..