Best time for new liner?

[coffeegoddss]

Our AG pool is only on its 7th summer (or so, I’m bad with dates) but it’s time for a new liner. After a bad ladder issue, an incident with a small child using the end of a vacuum pole to retrieve toys, and various other shenanigans, it’s got more than it’s fair share of patches. Our pool also seems to have come out of level slightly and it’s causing liner issues on one end. So we’ve decided it’s time to have it re-leveled and re-lined.

My question is this: since the patches are holding, do we simply close it for the winter and have the work done in the spring or just do it now and get it over with right before closing? I’m leaning towards next spring just in case we have any problems with the install but I figured I’d get the experts opinions.

 

[pabadear]

I'm no expert but if the liner is holding up now and it can hold up till next spring, I'd just close it as-is and deal with it when you open it later on. Obviously you'd still want to winterize the pool still to avoid more work later on when you open it.

This option will simply allow you to open it in the spring, drain it regardless the condition it's in (if it's a green or clear water) and start the season fresh. I would only change it now if the patches are questionable and may lead to leaks during the winter season - possibly damaging your pool walls.

I was in this dilemma last year but my situation was a little different - I popped the liner so bad that there was not a drop of water left in it. I was questioning whether I should repair it before winter or wait till this spring but I later learned that the walls would simply not hold up to any type of winter weather without any water keeping things in place. I installed a new liner, filled it up, winterized the water and closed it all in 2 days. I did run into a small leak in the return valve during the fall season but thankfully it was a matter of just tightening it up - could have been worse and thankfully I didn't have to remove the cover, drain parts of the pool, and further diagnose the problem.

 

[borjis]

Agreed.

Best time is when daily temps are around 80 degrees, in my experience.

 

[Teald024]

I'd also suggest waiting until spring to install the new liner. That way if any wintertime woes hit your pool, they don't damage your brand new liner. Closing procedures can be kinda lax without the worry and necessity of opening to clear water. Just need to protect from freezing the equipment and lessen strain on the pool walls.

 

[PoolguyinCT]

If the liners ability to perform is in question.
Replace before it before winter.

At 8lbs per gallon water is a structural element for in-ground and above ground pools.