Hi Everyone,
We are in the process of finishing an inground vinyl liner pool. We are handling many of the projects ourselves like the landscaping, the patio, equipment shed, and pergola. Our PB is behind schedule by a few months and while they have finished the excavation, the installation of all plumbing and conduit lines, and the concrete deck, they have not yet had the electrician, the gas line to the heater, any of the equipment installed, or the vinyl liner installed. We met with them about three weeks ago before they placed the poolcrete and told them we either needed to have them hurry and get it done or wait until spring when the weather would be more beneficial to get the project completed. We didn't want them to drag it along and then try to install the liner in December or January when our regional temps are well below freezing at night and right around freezing for a typical daytime high. They said they wanted to push ahead and get it done.
They placed the poolcrete a few weeks ago and we have not seen much movement since that point. They still have a few weeks worth of work at the earliest before we can get all the electrical connections completed, the gas installed, all the equipment hooked up, the automatic cover installed, the manifolds built, and all of it functional before we try to put in the liner and then test all the equipment before winterizing the whole pool.
My question is this. Does anyone know if there is any risk in leaving the poolcrete exposed to the elements until spring? Or is it better to install the liner in the cold weather and get the pool filled? Everything I have read on the forums says we should install our liner when the weather is warm to help ensure it stretches and is placed correctly. I have read some comments about poolcrete shifting if the underlying material (in our case a very hard clay) fails. We have land drain below our deep end that helps ensure ground water does not enter the pool so I am really only concerned about exposure to the snow, cold temps, and sunlight for the next few months. Ideally this would not be the case but I want to get some thoughts on what is the lesser of two evils. To leave the poolcrete exposed or try to set my liner in really cold temps and hope everything settles down when it warms up in the spring.
I have included a few photos of the pool and the site plan just to give you a sense of what we are working on and how the construction process is going. I appreciate everyone's help!
We are in the process of finishing an inground vinyl liner pool. We are handling many of the projects ourselves like the landscaping, the patio, equipment shed, and pergola. Our PB is behind schedule by a few months and while they have finished the excavation, the installation of all plumbing and conduit lines, and the concrete deck, they have not yet had the electrician, the gas line to the heater, any of the equipment installed, or the vinyl liner installed. We met with them about three weeks ago before they placed the poolcrete and told them we either needed to have them hurry and get it done or wait until spring when the weather would be more beneficial to get the project completed. We didn't want them to drag it along and then try to install the liner in December or January when our regional temps are well below freezing at night and right around freezing for a typical daytime high. They said they wanted to push ahead and get it done.
They placed the poolcrete a few weeks ago and we have not seen much movement since that point. They still have a few weeks worth of work at the earliest before we can get all the electrical connections completed, the gas installed, all the equipment hooked up, the automatic cover installed, the manifolds built, and all of it functional before we try to put in the liner and then test all the equipment before winterizing the whole pool.
My question is this. Does anyone know if there is any risk in leaving the poolcrete exposed to the elements until spring? Or is it better to install the liner in the cold weather and get the pool filled? Everything I have read on the forums says we should install our liner when the weather is warm to help ensure it stretches and is placed correctly. I have read some comments about poolcrete shifting if the underlying material (in our case a very hard clay) fails. We have land drain below our deep end that helps ensure ground water does not enter the pool so I am really only concerned about exposure to the snow, cold temps, and sunlight for the next few months. Ideally this would not be the case but I want to get some thoughts on what is the lesser of two evils. To leave the poolcrete exposed or try to set my liner in really cold temps and hope everything settles down when it warms up in the spring.
I have included a few photos of the pool and the site plan just to give you a sense of what we are working on and how the construction process is going. I appreciate everyone's help!
