Hey all of you with beaded liner pools!
The question of ‘reattaching the liner back into the track’ comes up on a regular basis so I figure it might be nice to have one place for the ‘tips and tricks’ of getting a ‘popped out’ liner back in track.
First and foremost (!) make sure that the track is clear of dirt/ debris (ants like to make their colonies in the track) – usually splashing some water into it will clear the dirt, but sometimes you have to clear it with a screwdriver.
A – Try to pull the liner up enough to put it back into the track, on a warm day with direct sun, it’ll usually go back in. * The bead has to slide in perpendicular and at a slight downward angle (ok, that defies the â€perpendicularâ€, but I hope you know what I mean) to the track.
B- Not enough stretch to the liner, or a cold and cloudy day? My first trick to adding some stretch to a liner is to rapidly rub the area with a cloth to generate a little friction and try to pull it up again. If that’s not enough, or the area is too big to make it practical, hot water from the tap
should be enough to give you the stretch you need – pour it on the entire area both on the poolside and behind the liner. I DO NOT recommend boiling water – it will soften the vinyl too much and you could end up poking a finger through it while pulling up!
C- It is possible to use a hairdryer or heat gun to warm the liner enough to stretch it back in, but *BE CAREFUL!!!!!* not to burn a hole in the liner or warm it too much!!!! Use your other hand to feel the temp of the liner and *DON’T!! put it directly on the liner or too close to it!! DO warm the entire liner from bead to waterline and ~3†past either end of the part that’s out of the track. (note - sometimes you have to lower the water a little (you don’t want to warp the tile pattern)
D-SUPER SECRET TECHNIQUE (I had to be cleared by the Pentagon to be able to give this info!) If you fold the bead over to be ~perpendicular (as above) to the wall just below the track, you can ‘nudge’ the liner back into the track. (Here’s where it gets hard to describe) With the bead folded so that the ‘nose’ of it is perpendicular to the wall, use the flat part of your index fingers (** detail – put your hands out in front of you, palms facing away – thumbs perpendicular to fingers [like you were going to brace yourself on a wall], curl your fingers [but only the fingers – don’t make a fist] so that the middle bone of your fingers creates that flat area) put your thumbs (thumbs are still extended) on the coping , turn your elbows out and reach down so that the ‘flat’ of your index fingers is just under the seam that connects the bead to the liner. Gently ‘kneed’ the bead up the wall – the bead will ‘inch’ it’s way up and into the track (angstrom is probably more accurate than inch). It doesn’t go quickly, but you’ll be able to see the 2 ends of the ‘pop’ going back into the track, and all of a sudden – the liner is back in. (I know that I didn’t explain this very well – if someone figures out what I’m trying to say and can put it more eloquently, please post it and I’ll edit, with credit) A lot of times I can use this ‘trick’ without resorting to heating the liner, but sometimes still have to relax the liner first.
I wanted to make this post ever since I read this
http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=7114
There are a few things in that post on which I’d like to comment or expound upon:
1. HeatherC fears using a screwdriver (flathead or [-]) to force the bead into the track – I use the screwdriver, sometimes you have to tuck the bead’s lip into the track—her recommendation is to use a popcicle stick (it’s a good idea , less chance of damaging the bead using wood instead of steel), but sometimes you need something a little thinner than the tongue depresser.
2. Liner lock, the barbed bullnosed plastic strips, can be used where you have an area that keeps popping out to secure it. It can also be used when you have a large ‘pop’ to keep what you’ve put back in, in the bead while addressing the rest. Sumo and Cleancloths also had some good alternative things to use.
I’ve tried to make this complete (so I don’t have to go back and edit it), but if I missed something, or was unclear, please respond and I’ll ‘touch it up’.
HAPPY SWIMMING, EVERYONE!!
Some people are good to go DYI on this stuff, others maybe not so much. Look at it this way. If a pool company does it, THEY are responsible for liner damage that may occur in using a heat gun, etc. They also know how to do this pretty fast. You will have your pool back faster, and save you a big headache. I would imagine a couple hundred bucks and all will be well. Sometimes spending a little bit actaully saves you in the long run. Just my little piece of advice. Feel free to take it or ignore 