Pool liner shortage -- what does the future hold?

[rootusrootus]

I have several options for a 21 foot liner, if I want a basic one. But finding an expandable one has been difficult. That's what I spec'd on my Pool Factory package, and they haven't written me a note yet to tell me the liner isn't actually available. Does anyone have any idea what the prognosis is for this winter? Is there reason to expect that more will become available?

I'm glad to have a good amount of time before next summer, but covid has me wary of assuming anything. I will feel better when I have a liner in my hands ready to go. At least one.

 

[Mdragger88]

There have been lots of ups & downs in the supply chain (especially in the pool world) - hopefully they actually have what u ordered.
There have been many folks watching the websites around the clock so they can order something as soon as it’s in stock. Things have gotten better but we’re still not back to the land of plenty quite like most of us are accustomed to.
Good news is You have plenty of time to find a replacement/substitute if needed so you’ve got that on your side

 

[hwy17]

Are you sure you need an expandable? A standard will accommodate a 1-2ft dish bottom.

 

[rootusrootus]

Are you sure you need an expandable? A standard will accommodate a 1-2ft dish bottom.

That's something I've been trying to determine. Please correct me .

I read that a standard liner will accommodate up to a few inches, not a foot or more. And that an expandable liner is rated by the deepest it will go -- e.g. a 72 inch expandable liner is rated to go as deep as 6 feet total. Am I misunderstanding? If a regular liner could go a foot deeper in the middle, then why do 60 inch expandable liners exist?

I've also read that the expandable part of an expandable liner is primarily the bottom piece. Which confuses me, because I never see expandable liners rated as 48, 52, or 54 inches for the wall itself. Maybe because expandable liners are always overlap, and they just make them all big enough for 54?

Part of me is a bit nervous about installing the expandable liner, that's for sure. But I'd like to be able to cannonball into my own pool if I want and not break my tailbone on the bottom . And be able to go underwater easily without having to be in a fetal position. Maybe I worry to much, but I'd rather get this right the first time.

 

[rootusrootus]

There have been lots of ups & downs in the supply chain (especially in the pool world) - hopefully they actually have what u ordered.
There have been many folks watching the websites around the clock so they can order something as soon as it’s in stock. Things have gotten better but we’re still not back to the land of plenty quite like most of us are accustomed to.
Good news is You have plenty of time to find a replacement/substitute if needed so you’ve got that on your side

I guess that's my question. When should I panic and just buy a regular liner so I'm not out a whole season? LOL. We just ended a season, so maybe things will ease up over the winter with lower demand.

Maybe I'll write a little script to go out every day and hit the big sites looking for the liner I want, so I can snag it as soon as it's in stock. Maybe I should make a Twitter bot that people can follow which tracks the most in-demand liners and links to them as they become available. Ha!

 

[hwy17]

That's something I've been trying to determine. Please correct me .

I read that a standard liner will accommodate up to a few inches, not a foot or more. And that an expandable liner is rated by the deepest it will go -- e.g. a 72 inch expandable liner is rated to go as deep as 6 feet total. Am I misunderstanding? If a regular liner could go a foot deeper in the middle, then why do 60 inch expandable liners exist?

I've also read that the expandable part of an expandable liner is primarily the bottom piece. Which confuses me, because I never see expandable liners rated as 48, 52, or 54 inches for the wall itself. Maybe because expandable liners are always overlap, and they just make them all big enough for 54?

Part of me is a bit nervous about installing the expandable liner, that's for sure. But I'd like to be able to cannonball into my own pool if I want and not break my tailbone on the bottom . And be able to go underwater easily without having to be in a fetal position. Maybe I worry to much, but I'd rather get this right the first time.

So I double checked the original source of my belief there, Dan Dougher the AGP god. Correction, he actually cautiously describes that you can comfortably expect a 10" dish bottom out of a standard liner.

Above Ground Pool Deep Ends

I am often asked about an above ground swimming pool's depth. Above ground pool deep ends come in three main wall heights: 48”, 52”, and 54”

www.inyopools.com

The reason for that comes down to the math of parabolas. It's a bit above me to do the precise calculations but it's a surprising ratio like say across a 21' diameter a 12" deflection only requires a quarter or a half inch of linear stretch. Well within the margin of error provided by a stretchy vinyl liner. Like imagine if you were to tie up a taught string 21ft across how easy it would be to deflect it 12" at the center.

You are correct that expandable refers to extra wall material, the bottom is described as being cut to the same measurement as standard, but idk if they add a little there too in reality.

Edit: I found a calculator and if I'm using it right it says that a 1ft parabola deflection across a 21ft span is like a ~.4" increase in length.

Parabola - arc length

The Arc Length of a Parabola calculator computes the arc length of a parabola based on the distance (a) from the apex of the parabola along the axis to a point, and the width (b) of the parabola at that point perpendicular to the axis.

www.vcalc.com

 

[rootusrootus]

Found out something interesting today. Pool Factory does not show the expandable liners as available on their web site, but they do in fact have some. They are reserving them for package purchases. So my pool, along with the expandable liner, is on the way and should be here in a few days!

Then I can just go visit it in the garage for the next six or seven months until it's warm enough to install the pool. LOL

 

[Mdragger88]

Whoo hoo!! That’s awesome You got a pool

I got mine on Black Friday & kept it hidden from my kids until Christmas but still had to look at it in boxes in the shop until April install it was on a nice plastic pallet that I could move around at least. They also had it wrapped all in plastic wrap which made me feel better about mice possibly getting to anything. I checked it periodically for evidence & had it covered with a tarp.
Now the pallet elevates my dog’s house in her shanti. Waste not want not they say.