Replacement Vinyl Liner Install - DIY or no?

[Cathy9887]

We have a 28k gallon "true L" shape pool, and got a replacement liner for it near the end of last fall. In the early part of this Spring, I called around to the local companies, and "shockingly", everyone is booked solid thru the entire pool season. I mean, I knew new builds were coming out everyone's wahzoo... but a replacement liner install?? I figured that was something that could be done pretty quickly / easily, & might even be done by a different dept of folks than the "new construction" jobs. We're even very willing to do whatever pre-prep work we can ahead of time, to make it quicker for them.

Long story short... I've been trying to find someone to help us for months, and either I'm told 'no' right out of the gate... or they don't even bother returning my call.
So what I'm wanting to find out is... just how hard is it to replace an IG vinyl liner? I've watched several YouTube videos, and naturally, they make it look very easy... but I'm not stupid. Anything is easy if you've done it 100+ times.

It's saltwater & has stainless walls & a vermiculite bottom.. there are a few spots that ideally, I'd like to have patched. They aren't awful, just divots where a kid probably jumped in too hard or something like that. Not a total deal breaker if it doesn't happen.

We also need to replace 4 Intellibright LED lights (that, I'm 92% positive we can do on our own, without much trouble), and would like to upgrade our control panel to the one with remote access, and possibly add a heater (kinda depends on what the total $$ damage is for everything else). We already ordered a new pump, which will be installed by the company we ordered it from.

All that to say... Exactly how feasible is all of this?? We're pretty "able" people, and have had several friends offer to help if needed. We aren't concerned with any physical limitations... we're more worried about all of the technical "what they DIDN'T show you in the video" kinda stuff. I told my husband I was pretty confident the expert folks on the TFP boards would be able to help us... either with some helpful tips & a confidence boost... or a solid "Nope, don't do it". LOL.

Just how deep in the muck are we with all of this.... ??

Thanks for any & all input!!

Cathy

 

[ajw22]

A critical step is getting the pool properly measured and the new liner specified. Even pros mess that up and find the liner they get does not fit properly. Whoever does the measurement and ordering of the liner takes the risk for it not fitting properly.

Do you understand how your liner track works that the liner is hung from? There are various types.

This contains some tips on liner replacements that may be helpful - Liner Replacement - Further Reading

Post pics of your pool to see if anyone sees any problem areas.

@jimmythegreek may have thoughts.

 

[sktn77a]

Nine times out of ten, this is not a DIY job (especially if you've never done it before and you have an "L" shaped pool).

Having said that, if you have no other choice..........................

 

[Cathy9887]

Luckily, no measuring is required. This was a warranty covered replacement, and the manufacturer still had all of our info from the initial order. Bonus!

No clue what the track looks like - for now. The cover is still on it, except for one corner that we pulled to check the water level. I'm positive I have lots of photos that would be better for details, it'll just take me a bit to locate them. Transferred my entire photo backup storage to our home cloud when I got a new phone... I'll find 'em, it'll just take me a hot minute.

I know it won't be easy by any stretch, and I haven't given up on finding someone to at least stand around & direct us. Understandably, our biggest hesitation... nay.. our biggest fear comes with the cutting of the liner for lights, returns, drains, (fiberglass?) steps & swim platform thing (I call it the "mama ledge".. where the mamas who don't want to get "all the way in" can sit with their cocktails. LOL) etc, etc. Other than the basic stuff, its a pretty vanilla type install. No water features or anything.

I'll see if I can find a few decent photos...

Thanks for the responses!!

 

[Bill1974]

This might be a stretch, but ask of the liner installers if you can watch them install one in person. Ideally a similar shape. I saw mine installed and it 90% is pretty straight forward. the last 10% are all the nuances that will make or break the the install. At the same time, if you find someone who does liner installs and wants to work on the side for you that would be a big help. Steps look to take a fair bit of time and fitting to get them to sit right. My pool is a sand bottom, I was surprised they troweled the sand from shallow end to the deep end and than used a ladder to get out. Then they use a paint roller on a long pole to clean up where the ladder sat.

If you are going to do this, I would make every effort to have someone who has installed liners there to assist. Consider the alternative, how long and and how much is it going to cost to get another liner and and the risks of damage you might have to your pool if it has to sit without a liner for months. If you can patch your current liner and make it work till you can fine someone to install your new one I would hold off on doing it yourself.

 

[robbegginer]

Can you use the pool one season with the old liner?

What was the problem with the old one?

 

[Pool_Medic]

No pool guy will install a liner that isn’t one they ordered, for various reasons. Fit, measurement and payment. We charge a mark up on liners plus an install charge. Profit isn’t a bad word remember. Install a pool or install a $2,000 liner, easy to figure out why they won’t do it.
watch videos, get two big shop vacs or two cyclones, do it on a nice warm day, get some friends to help, it’s truly not that hard.

 

[jimmythegreek]

Ask the guy coming to install your pump if he'd do a side job. If you have 1 guy that knows how to layout and handle the fittings the rest is labor. It's not that hard but can nlbe tricky. Fittings and skimmers vary on how you finish them

 

[Nashvillejoe]

My wife and nine-year-old daughter and I just finished refurbishing our pool took about a week because of the rain and I posted a recap feel free to send me a note if you have any questions-

I watched a 70 year old retired mailman install a liner by himself on a YouTube video and I thought well heck if he can do it - I can- Did the first liner install in 2013 and we just refurbished again here in 2022 9 years later- so I have done a total of 2 liners in my life!!

Also keep in mind the pool installer is usually someone who does all of the things needed to install the pool (limited supply of those guys!)

but when your is liner off, you can call a Masonary/ brick or handyman guy and he’ll come over and repair the divots- it’s a small job for him and when u break out a lot of the jobs to different tradesmen who can come over for a couple hours and do some of the things you need done- u have a much larger pool of guys to call.

For instance if you need someone to come in and angle grind out the walls you can get a handyman to do that and it’ll probably take him three or four hours depending on how bad the damage is- and then if you wanna paint or seal like I did on mine, you buy the material-and hire a painter to come in and put the material on the sides ….. all these little things that normally a pool installer would do, you can bid out the work to different guys ( or do it urself) so instead of one big job you have six small jobs and it’s a lot easier to find people because it increases your potential pool of workers!!

I know you might be nervous but they were making pools you know 3500 years ago long before we had all those groovy technology in YouTube … you guys can do it!!

Refurbishing inground liner pool …….

I wanted to share my photos and my process pics….. in 2013 i did a refubish on this pool….. no knowing anything about pools and there is no way i get through that without TFP- you guys saved my bacon many times!!! So flash forward 10 years and its time for replacement and of course to correct...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[duraleigh]

I installed our liner twice. We had a very large pool (24x55) so we needed lots of manpower.

The process is quite doable if you have enough help......about 4-5 or so would really make it pretty easy.