The liner in my below ground pool has ripped to shreds. Looking to replace my liner and I'm wondering why the previous owner shoved pennies along the entire track of the pool. Anyone have any ideas why?
Replacing my first liner
- Thread starter Elementalwindx
- Start date
For a normal rectangle pool built in the 80s and this being its 4th or 5th liner , do you have any tips on things I should look out for?
i was going to order the same liner they had in their records from in the swim so I don't screw up measuring it myself.
i was going to order the same liner they had in their records from in the swim so I don't screw up measuring it myself.
Sorry, no. My experience with inground liner pools is all secondhand from here. Everything is concrete in California as far as I've seen.
I've found paperwork where he supposedly put down a foam barrier in the bottom of the pool but under that I think it's all concrete from these records. One thing that confuses me is he has this one pipe in the pool covered by the liner and when looking at it all, it looks like it's some form of permanent suction on the liner itself. Has anyone else seen this done in other pools? Should I keep it or remove it?
- - - Updated - - -
As marked with the "S" in this diagram linked below:
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
- - - Updated - - -
As marked with the "S" in this diagram linked below:
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
It just looks like the vinyl wall with this screwed on top of it: https://www.poolpartsonline.com/p-10223-87200400-american-uf-face-plate.aspx
The pipe leads back to the pump where it's T'd into the pump. I actually had to redo the piping and I didn't reconnect that section of the pipe. I can't really tell a difference but after thinking about it more I probably should have reconnected that back into the piping system.
Surely a dedicated suction line if it leads to the intake of the pump. Pretty handy to have if you have a suction side cleaner.
It only has the skimmer if that's what you mean? It doesn't have that bottom of the pool suction/cleaner.
He means a self-propelled pool vacuum that stays in the pool and drives around cleaning without you having to be there.
We also have one of those auto Polaris robots that we used around once a week.
Ok so got the new liner in, but not installed. I hooked that T fitting back up to the PVC piping by the pump for that odd piece that sucks on my liner. Any advice on doing this first liner? I've also bought a liner lock as well. From what I can tell in the documentation the previous owner foamed the bottom (I have not seen this, just read it in his detailed paperwork), and duct taped foam edges on the corners to give it a radius feel to it (seen this clearly thru the ripped liner on all 4 corners). The bottom has some serious dips in it. If he did foam the bottom, what would be the proper way to level that back out? The walls of the pool appear to be some form of hard surface and the walls + corners all feel perfect. Maybe like those "pre molded" types of pools I see along the road at some pool stores. If it's one of those, do I have to worry about it collapsing in when I fully drain the pool? I've drained this pool 95% twice now in the past and nothing has collapsed. Planning on taking off the ladders/diving board tomorrow, and fri-sun will be perfectly sunny so I'll be draining friday morning, removing the liner, and hopefully all in the same day doing it Friday, or at least putting in the new liner by Saturday morning. Hope to have the ladder and diving board reinstalled by Saturday night or Sunday morning.
Thanks everybody
Thanks everybody
Starting the process.....you should see the amount of pennies I have removed from this bead....
Are there any good threads with pictures/video on how to remove the pool liner from the coping/track?
Well not looking good so far. Drained all the water out into the sewage area behind all our homes, and noticed water was coming up beneath the liner floating it up. Removed the liner and the water fills the deep end to about an inch into the shallow end. Leaving the pump on hoping it will eventually pump out whatever this water is wherever it came from and hoping the best for my pool bottom. :/ any ideas how this happened?
I do know that last summer the liner did get some holes at the bottom and it did take me some time to realize what was going on so I do know there was a great deal of water lost thru these holes before I got them patched.
Hoping this isn't too serious.
P.s. the pump in the first pic wasn't ran but a couple minutes like that before I attached the hose leading a good 25-50 yards away to what I described above. I wanted to make sure that pump was working first.
I do know that last summer the liner did get some holes at the bottom and it did take me some time to realize what was going on so I do know there was a great deal of water lost thru these holes before I got them patched.
Hoping this isn't too serious.
P.s. the pump in the first pic wasn't ran but a couple minutes like that before I attached the hose leading a good 25-50 yards away to what I described above. I wanted to make sure that pump was working first.
Here is what the bottom looks like. Looks like I'll need to patch a bunch of holes. What are you guys thoughts on this?
https://imgur.com/gallery/P6Xy8
https://imgur.com/gallery/P6Xy8
Guess I'm talking to myself at this point. Wish someone would join in.
After more work (finally got the liner out of the coping) I noticed water is pouring back into the deep end through the cracks. I'm just going to hire a company to come in and redo this bottom for $1,000-$2,000. Sigh. In this case, how would a company go about redoing the bottom if water is constantly flowing through the cracks?
After more work (finally got the liner out of the coping) I noticed water is pouring back into the deep end through the cracks. I'm just going to hire a company to come in and redo this bottom for $1,000-$2,000. Sigh. In this case, how would a company go about redoing the bottom if water is constantly flowing through the cracks?
I wish I could help, but vinyl liners are pretty much confined to aboveground pools where I live. I've never seen an inground liner pool in person.
borjis
LifeTime Supporter
I wonder if the water you drained is seeping down into a possible high water table in your area.
has your liner floated before after heavy rains?
If it won't stay drained, you might have to wait a week or two for it to go down, then seal
up where ever that is coming from in the deep end.
Just saw your photos, wow I wish my pool was like that...barely a shallow end and steep deep after.
Nice!
Mine is concrete too. There were a few very small slight cracks when the liner was replaced almost
2 years ago, but nothing like yours has.
I would definitely cut in that pressure cleaner line even if you are not going to use it.
Mine had foam on the walls before, but when the new one was installed by the pool co
they only put foam in by the shallow end line fasteners (where you would mount a floating rope to keep
little ones out of the deep end.)
has your liner floated before after heavy rains?
If it won't stay drained, you might have to wait a week or two for it to go down, then seal
up where ever that is coming from in the deep end.
Just saw your photos, wow I wish my pool was like that...barely a shallow end and steep deep after.
Nice!
Mine is concrete too. There were a few very small slight cracks when the liner was replaced almost
2 years ago, but nothing like yours has.
I would definitely cut in that pressure cleaner line even if you are not going to use it.
Mine had foam on the walls before, but when the new one was installed by the pool co
they only put foam in by the shallow end line fasteners (where you would mount a floating rope to keep
little ones out of the deep end.)
I think you might be in some dangerous territory here with an empty pool and a lot of groundwater. Don't want to scare you here, but you really need to know the groundwater conditions before you drain a vinyl liner pool.
I had the exact same conditions when I purchased a home with a run-down pool... the liner had been removed and it was full of groundwater in the hopper, almost up to the shallow end, exactly like yours. The steel walls were pushed in and the hopper walls and floor were all cracked and heaved.
What you need to do as soon as possible, is drive a wellpoint (preferably several of them) in the ground on the OUTSIDE of the pool... as deep as possible, and preferably just below the deepest part of your pool... then connect a pump to remove the groundwater. Keep this pump operational on a full time basis until the pool is refilled.... of course, you don't want the pump to run dry, but you need to keep that groundwater away from your pool at all costs.
I would caution against just draining the water from the deep end... the danger is that the water on the "dirt side" of your pool walls is trying to push the walls in and make them collapse. That water is currently finding cracks and entering the pool... once it reaches the level of the shallow end, it has found an equilibrium and there is no longer any pressure on the pool walls and floor. Draining the pool again removes that equilibrium and the walls/floor are once again under extreme pressure to collapse.
The groundwater is only an issue when you need to drain the pool. The very best solution is to dig a sump that goes at least as deep as the pool, and pump it out until there is no water level in the sump before you drain the pool water. This ensures that there is no groundwater pressure pushing the pool walls inward when you have the water removed.
Take a look at my build thread... from last summer, I did install a full sump which has a sump in it on a float switch, it's on 24/7 in my case because I also use that sump to drain runoff water from around the pool. There are pictures of the sump installation in that thread... which you can find here:
Rehab project in New Brunswick, Canada
I had the exact same conditions when I purchased a home with a run-down pool... the liner had been removed and it was full of groundwater in the hopper, almost up to the shallow end, exactly like yours. The steel walls were pushed in and the hopper walls and floor were all cracked and heaved.
What you need to do as soon as possible, is drive a wellpoint (preferably several of them) in the ground on the OUTSIDE of the pool... as deep as possible, and preferably just below the deepest part of your pool... then connect a pump to remove the groundwater. Keep this pump operational on a full time basis until the pool is refilled.... of course, you don't want the pump to run dry, but you need to keep that groundwater away from your pool at all costs.
I would caution against just draining the water from the deep end... the danger is that the water on the "dirt side" of your pool walls is trying to push the walls in and make them collapse. That water is currently finding cracks and entering the pool... once it reaches the level of the shallow end, it has found an equilibrium and there is no longer any pressure on the pool walls and floor. Draining the pool again removes that equilibrium and the walls/floor are once again under extreme pressure to collapse.
The groundwater is only an issue when you need to drain the pool. The very best solution is to dig a sump that goes at least as deep as the pool, and pump it out until there is no water level in the sump before you drain the pool water. This ensures that there is no groundwater pressure pushing the pool walls inward when you have the water removed.
Take a look at my build thread... from last summer, I did install a full sump which has a sump in it on a float switch, it's on 24/7 in my case because I also use that sump to drain runoff water from around the pool. There are pictures of the sump installation in that thread... which you can find here:
Rehab project in New Brunswick, Canada