Poor Fitting Liner

[oohnoo]

Quick question for any experts here. PB installed my liner and it looks like it's not tucked in all the way in the corner by the steps. The corner seem is about 2-3" away from the actual corner and there's a void behind it. I attached a drawing to show what it looks like as it's too hard to take a pic. Also one of the lights seems to have a very small leak as there a small puddle right under it. He says it's nothing to worry about and he'll take a look at it when he comes Thursday to back fill and correct it if necessary. But I'm worried with the liner as it seems he's pushing that it's nothing to worry about.

Here's my original thread of the pool build. Have to admit they did a great job under the circumstances.

wohoo-new-pool-construction-t53022.html

 

[X-PertPool]

From the drawing I think you are okay. Yes you do want the seam as close to the wall as possible (the seam being uniformly away from the wall around the pool is what is important) The seam never ends up on the vertical wall or exactly in the corner since liners are designed slightly smaller and are supposed to stretch into place somewhat, if they made the liner too big it would have wrinkles instead. To tell if a liner is installed correctly you should compare the wall seam around the pool, it should for the most part look the same all the way around. If it's 1" away from the wall on one side of the pool and then 6" on the other then yes it's not in right. If the step area is the only place that looks odd then it's probably just the way the liner/pool was designed. It's really hard to say though without actually feeling it. Regardless when you install a liner with steps some people turn on the vac and then cut everything out (skimmers,returns,steps etc.) What you should really do is turn the vac on and let the pool fill to the level of the bottom track of the steps; this allows the weight of the water to pull the vinyl into place which prevents the distortion of screw holes which can lead to a leak in the step gasket area. You could always call another pool guy over and ask their opinion on it

 

[oohnoo]

Pools already filled and that's the exact way the PB installed it. The seam does wander slightly along the step wall from one side to the other by about an inch or two in that area, otherwise the other areas are perfect. Might also note the vinyl liner is 28mil thick and the water temp is in the 60's.

From the drawing I think you are okay. Yes you do want the seam as close to the wall as possible (the seam being uniformly away from the wall around the pool is what is important) The seam never ends up on the vertical wall or exactly in the corner since liners are designed slightly smaller and are supposed to stretch into place somewhat, if they made the liner too big it would have wrinkles instead. To tell if a liner is installed correctly you should compare the wall seam around the pool, it should for the most part look the same all the way around. If it's 1" away from the wall on one side of the pool and then 6" on the other then yes it's not in right. If the step area is the only place that looks odd then it's probably just the way the liner/pool was designed. It's really hard to say though without actually feeling it. Regardless when you install a liner with steps some people turn on the vac and then cut everything out (skimmers,returns,steps etc.) What you should really do is turn the vac on and let the pool fill to the level of the bottom track of the steps; this allows the weight of the water to pull the vinyl into place which prevents the distortion of screw holes which can lead to a leak in the step gasket area. You could always call another pool guy over and ask their opinion on it

 

[X-PertPool]

27-28 mil is 40% thicker and heavier than standard 20 mil I hardly EVER sell anything but 20 mil as I personally believe it's more of a marketing gimmick than anything that will actually benefit the pool. It's harder to work with and conforms less to the pools dimensions. I feel 20 mil will usually last longer as it will provide a better fit when installed correctly. Side by side you can't really see a difference in thickness. The liner being cold can have a huge effect on how it will fit into place, it's harder for the vac to pull the heavier liner plus the suppleness of the vinyl drops as the temperature does. To give you an idea, during heat wave vinyl can distort and stretch under it's own weight and feels like working with bubble gum. When below freezing a new piece of vinyl can stand up like a teepee.

 

[oohnoo]

The liner we picked out just so happened to be 27mil. So it sounds like we should be alright with the way it is.

Appreciate your input.