Liner pulled away from coping - is this a DIY?

Steverino

LifeTime Supporter
Aug 18, 2009
97
Central PA
Just discovered a ~5" section of liner that has pulled away from the aluminum coping. It appears that there's a channel back inside that should lock the liner in.

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(sorry, I forgot to flip the last pic over :hammer: )

The pool is a bit over a year old, and the pool company says it would be a service call ($95) to fix.

Can I fix it myself? How? Any wisdom appreciated!

Hope everyone's having a great holiday. We've been enjoying the water!

Thanks,

Steve
 
You, you should be able to do that yourself. You want to do the work on a hot sunny day, to help the liner stretch. Mostly you need some brute force to get the liner back into the track, pushing at the proper angle is important, but tricky to explain. Once the liner is in the track, you will want something to help lock it into the track so this doesn't happen again. You can use liner lock, or pennies (which work just as well).
 
Thanks for the replies! Three questions then:
1. Does one use any sort of tools (I'd be concerned about poking holes) or just fingers (& cussin')?
2. Does it go back in with the coping left in place just as it is?
3. The pennies (or liner lock) get inserted after the liner's back in place, into the slot, "on top" of the liner tab?
 
Steverino said:
Thanks for the replies! Three questions then:
1. Does one use any sort of tools (I'd be concerned about poking holes) or just fingers (& cussin')?
2. Does it go back in with the coping left in place just as it is?
3. The pennies (or liner lock) get inserted after the liner's back in place, into the slot, "on top" of the liner tab?


I've been able to fix mine quite easily by heating up the liner just below with a hair dryer for about 20-30 seconds.

DO NOT DROP THE HAIR DRYER INTO THE POOL!!!!!!!

After it's heated I just pull it back into place. It should lock in by itself if your track is still in good shape. I never use liner lock of pennies or anything else.
 
Thanks for the tips - I'll give it a go. I hate spending $ on something I can do myself (with proper information - like not seeing if the hairdryer can self propel thru the water :hammer: )

I kind of wonder, though, if it came loose once, won't it just come back out again? Guess we'll see!
 
I just had a new liner installed a few weeks ago. The following week I had two 6" spots, pretty much right next to each other, and for that one I called the installers back to put it back in. I tried myself but I couldn't pull it up (it wasn't very warm outside) and I really didn't want to mess with it since it is a new install.

This morning I went out and there was another spot in a different place, bigger than yours, and I thought about calling them back again. By the time I went back out there this afternoon it was hot and I figured I would try it myself...made all the difference. It pulled up very easily. I started on one side and bent the top/white part to a 90 degree angle and pushed it back in. Then I ran my thumb up from the wall below to make sure it was seated all the way in. I did this, moving all the way down, until it was all back in. It didn't come back out.

(I am female by the way, not a big strong guy.)
 
Hey - thanks for the encouragement, Ashbourne! The only part that makes my location tricky is that it's in the deep end, so I can't stand in the pool and push up & in with any sort of leverage - I think I'll have to work leaning over from above. If I pick a hot day, there's two plusses - 1) the liner will be more pliable, and 2) if I over-leverage & fall in, it'll be refreshing! :party:
 

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Fixed! :whoot:

Turned out easier than I first thought based on my earlier testing. Today was hot & sunny and after dinner I gave it a go - used a wooden paint stirring stick as a gentle persuader. It was blunt enough to not poke the liner much but rough enough to grip a bit and thick enough not to break. (Plus free and available...) I was surprised how readily the bead re-seated once in position.

It will be interesting to see if it stays put or if I will end up needing some liner lock to keep it there.

Thanks again everyone for the helpful tips!

:cheers:
 
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