How best to seal vinyl liner at light niche?

[Wolverines]

My vinyl liner is leaking. Last fall I was hopeful I got the source when I found a small slice in the liner by the stairs and patched it. But the water dropped below that over the winter. It’s now at the light niche. I had plugged the back of the niche in the fall with putty. While there’s a chance that is leaking, the point where the liner is sealed to the niche is clearly leaking and now that I removed the outer ring I can see the cheap cardboard gasket behind is completely disintegrated. Will buying a replacement cardboard gasket really help to seal it or should I be using something else? (I’m pretty sure the gasket is Hayward Spx0506d) And how best to seal behind the liner? Butyl tape? Putty? I can see water going in behind the liner now that the ring is off. If the back of the niche is leaking I’ll need to fix this first anyway.

Thanks in advance!

 

[ajw22]

@1poolman1 @Lake Placid any ideas about the gasket for a light niche in a vinyl liner?

 

[Lake Placid]

Those Hayward gaskets are generally cork IIRC…I believe super pro makes a compatible gasket that is rubber, but I’m not 100% sure. The liner itself should act as a seal to the niche when the assemble clamps together. Is there a cut in the liner or is it degraded in some way that is preventing a seal?

 

[Wolverines]

Thank you both. A rubber gasket would be much better. I have put some butyl tape behind the liner where a gasket would go, and done the same between the outer housing and the liner where the other gasket would go. I was able to get the bottom 4 screws in, but now I have to get the liner above to stretch lower to align the existing holes with the top 4 screws. I'm filling the pool up as best I can to put weight/pressure on the liner to come lower, otherwise, I'll have 4 holes that will be exposed. If I can't get the upper liner to come down lower I'll do my best to screw it together and then patch those holes to see if the tape did the job to stop the leaking there.

 

[Bill1974]

Careful use of a heat gun or pouring hot water over the liner will help make it more pliable to align the screws. I have used an electric tea kettle to heat water and pour if over the line to help get the liner back in the track. Also wear gloves to help protect your hands and don't accidently pour boiling water on your hands gloved or not. A heat gun can work as well, it just much easier to over heat the liner and ruin it.

You might want to try putting studs in the screw holes to help get everything in place then replace the stud with a screw one at a time.

The other option would be to pull the liner out of the track, get the niche put back together, then try to get the liner back in place. This would be my last option, unless there is a risk of the liner tearing at the screws before you can get the ring tighten down.