Wrong Size Liner...Again

[SPKNout4CHRIST]

The pool company ordered our new liner late April. It took 3 weeks to come in. They put it in on a Saturday and came back Monday to cut in everything. Told me at that time the liner didn’t fit. Friday of that week (5/24) they ordered a second liner. They confirmed with the manufacturer (Merlin) that the liner was cut wrong at the factory.

Fast forward to yesterday. They put the second liner in. Came this morning to cut things in and it still isn’t right. The liner is still cut 6 inches too short in the shallow end.

We have now lost at least a month of pool use, filled the 25K pool to 3 inches in the shallow end twice, and run the vacuums. The pump has also been running 24/7 to keep ground water out of the pool since mid-April. The well point is plumbed into the rest of the pool equipment so my main pump has run non stop for two months with spurts of ground water every 30 seconds. We also had to cancel a Memorial Day pool party and have a large party we are hosting for someone else the first part of July that needs to have the pool ready.

It is my belief that this needs to be made right. I don’t know how long it will be now before a third liner gets delivered. Which means more pump run time and wasting the water that is sitting there now. My question is, who is responsible? The pool company, manufacturer, no one? What is reasonable for me to expect from them? I guess the kids will have to enjoy the Target blow up pool for a while longer.

 

[jblizzle]

obviously we can't give legal advise. And I'm not sure what your recourse might be anyways. Blame kind of depends on who messed up. Who took the dimensions of the Pool and Supply them to the Liner Company? Where are the dimensions correct and the liner company made it wrong?

I would also be concerned if I understood correctly that your main pool pump is running constantly but not always getting water? That would be a good way to overheat and ruin the seals in the pump and potentially warp the entire pump.

 

[JamesW]

Since your agreement is with the pool company, they are responsible to you for any underperformance.

If the pool company has an issue with the manufacturer, that's between them to resolve.

At this point, you don't know if the pool company measured the pool wrong or the manufacturer made a mistake. Did the pool company say that the manufacturer is responsible for the error?

In any case, the pool company is responsible to you and they can address any issues with the manufacturer based on their agreement and performance.

Do you have a remedy? It depends on whether the contract terms have been violated or the performance has been demonstrably defective.

What compensation do you want to make you happy with the overall job?

 

[SPKNout4CHRIST]

Who took the dimensions of the Pool and Supply them to the Liner Company? Where are the dimensions correct and the liner company made it wrong?

The pool company took the measurements and provided them to the liner company. The pool company confirmed their measurements after the first liner did not fit. The liner company had them measure from seam to seam in certain areas of the pool and they (liner company) that they cut it wrong. The pool company has done the same check this time and confirmed it is still cut wrong.

I would also be concerned if I understood correctly that your main pool pump is running constantly but not always getting water? That would be a good way to overheat and ruin the seals in the pump and potentially warp the entire pump.

Yes, it is running 24/7 to keep ground water from getting in the pool. It sucks in water every 30 seconds for a few seconds, but then runs dry.

 

[SPKNout4CHRIST]

At this point, you don't know if the pool company measured the pool wrong or the manufacturer made a mistake. Did the pool company say that the manufacturer is responsible for the error?

The manufacturer agreed the liner was cut wrong after the first go. We are waiting for them to call back now for this go around, but the pool company confirmed the seam to seam measurement still is 6 inches too short.

What compensation do you want to make you happy with the overall job?

I am not sure. I don't have a desire to turn this into a legal issue, I was just not sure if I need to handle this with the pool company or have them put me in touch with the liner manufacturer. I was also unsure if this is something that is common and what others have expected from the pool and/or liner company.

 

[JamesW]

It's probably time to reset everyone's expectations. Get clear about what you expect going forward and see if the pool company will agree.

Be clear about what timeframes you would like to meet and any compensation you would like.

It's the pool company that needs to make this right with you.

If the pool company has an issue with the performance of the manufacturer, that's between them. They can debate whose fault it is and what remedy they want to work out between themselves.

 

[jblizzle]

@JamesW ... you have any thoughts on that pump situation? To me the current setup seems like a bad idea.

 

[JamesW]

Definitely not good for the pump. The company probably should have used an old pump to handle the ground water.

It might not cause any damage to the pump, but I would suspect that the seal will be significantly worn from running dry and dealing with the grit in the water.

If it's a full rated WhisperFlo at a total hp of 1.65 hp, it's using power continuously, which can be expensive depending on the cost per kilowatthour. Running without full prime will use less power than full prime, but still a significant amount.

 

[SPKNout4CHRIST]

The pump has started leaking a little bit. The best I can tell it is leaking from just behind where the outlet is on the pump. There are four bolts, I believe, that join the motor to the rest of the pump. It seems to be leaking from around that area. Is that one of the seals that would fail? Is that seal replaceable?

 

[JamesW]

The seal is replaceable. The sooner the better. If water gets to the motor, the motor can be ruined.

There are multiple videos on YouTube that show how to replace a Whisperflo seal.

 

[borjis]

ask for a discount for the delays....not your fault.

 

[PoolGate]

Is this a pre-framed/cut pool or a custom? I ask because maybe they are making the liner for a specific model and the pool was assembled differently.

 

[SPKNout4CHRIST]

Is this a pre-framed/cut pool or a custom? I ask because maybe they are making the liner for a specific model and the pool was assembled differently.

I am not entirely sure, but the pool company took measurements and submitted those to the liner company. They did not go off a model to my knowledge. They said it would be custom made to fit those measurements.

 

[sktn77a]

ask for a discount for the delays....not your fault.

I doubt that will go very far. But you could ask them to fix the leaking pump - it's leaking because of how it's been used to mitigate their issues with the liner manufacturer!

 

[Chickinvic]

Your pump shouldn't be used for this. We are having our liner replaced too. For different reasons from yours, our pool has also been empty for at least 1.5 months - sigh. The groundwater coming up into the pool is sucked up by pump left there by the pool company - not our pool pump.

 

[borjis]

I am not entirely sure, but the pool company took measurements and submitted those to the liner company. They did not go off a model to my knowledge. They said it would be custom made to fit those measurements.

I had that done as well. There were some black bar 2 foot long things with markings on them they placed in several areas then took photos.

The liner ended up being a tight fit. So tight that it stretched the tile pattern about 2 whole inches in a part of the shallow end when it was nearly full.
I took photos and the liner mfg said they would honor the warranty if I had any issues. knock on wood 3 years later, it's still good.

 

[BMK]

They are using your pump to mitigate a situation that they are ultimately responsible for. They should supply a pump for the time waiting for mistakes to be corrected and your liner to be correctly installed. I think that's where your leverage is.

 

[1Sammy]

I'm lost. I have no ideas as to how a pool pump will get a head if used to suck ground water from a well point. OP says well point is plumbed into the main pump ? SO the ground water goes to filter and into the pool ? I don't think so . I am also wondering if the people doing the measurements are on the same page as the liner people as i have never heard of seam to seam sizing as i have always not wanted the seams to be in or at a corner or where the sides meet the bottom, that is a weak spot.

 

[SPKNout4CHRIST]

I'm lost. I have no ideas as to how a pool pump will get a head if used to suck ground water from a well point. OP says well point is plumbed into the main pump ? SO the ground water goes to filter and into the pool ? I don't think so . I am also wondering if the people doing the measurements are on the same page as the liner people as i have never heard of seam to seam sizing as i have always not wanted the seams to be in or at a corner or where the sides meet the bottom, that is a weak spot.

The multi-port valve is set to waste, so the ground water is bypassing the filter. I am not sure regarding the seam to seam measurement. Just a guess here, but the liner company knew what the seam to seam measurement should have been, but when measured it came up 6 inches shorter than expected. I have only been given that information as an explanation from the pool company, so I am not 100% on how that has factored in.

 

[JamesW]

All the sand and grit from the ground water will probably jam up the multiport. If it is hard to turn, don't force it, take it apart and clean and lubricate it.