Bead Receiver On A Tidewater Pool

by Danielle
(Michigan (lower peninsula))

Hello. I love the site. I have been doing my best to research this used pool that I purchased. I was able to establish that it is indeed a Tidewater Pool and is manufactured by Delair who no longer handles replacement parts.

The man I purchased the pool from was much less than honest, and part of that dishonesty lies in the aluminum bead receiver. When he removed the liner, he pried them out with something that left horrible sharp bended edges. The kind that would cause easy ripping or damage to a brand new liner.

I purchased the plastic replacement receivers along with a new beaded liner, but now I am wondering if this is a smart conversion. I have read up and it appears that the aluminum receivers help to give strength to the wall.

Should I try to replace the aluminum receivers by filing the areas and duct taping the areas, or do you think that these plastic replacements will be fine? Also, do all round pools have top stabilizing bars like the Wil-bar line of pools? If so.... then I need to find stabilizing bars too.

I am trying to get my hands on an install book for this pool. I am also looking to find out what names this same pool was sold under because sometimes you can find used parts that way. The guy told me the wall was in great condition. When we went to unroll it (there is no rust it is steel wall and uprights) about 15 feet into setting the wall into the track, it became apparent that the pool had buckled at some time. So I have about 9 feet of damage that I was told did not exist. I had specifically

Anyway, I would love to hear others advice. I will enclose some pictures :)

ALSO.... how the heck do you get those beaded liners into the receivers? Even my husband said it seems impossible!

Hi Danielle

Most, but not all, pools use stabilizer rods. I know of some that just use the plastic receivers with nothing over them. I have used bead receivers over coping before to act as stabilizer rods and that works just fine. Any chance your aluminum receivers would go on over your plastic receivers. Just a thought that might work, but other than that, stabilizer rods are pretty universal, most of them out there should work.

Getting the bead into the receiver can be downright tricky at times. I have completely trashed the ends of my fingers on more than one occasion fighting with liner beads. The hotter the temperature, and the more direct sunlight, the easier it will go.

The blunt end of a screw driver can be used also, if the fingers wear out. Make sure it is all forced down into the bead as far as it will go and double check it one last time before starting the water. So many times you think you have it snapped in when you really don't. Your fingers are numb and it just gets real hard to tell, so double check.

The wall damage bothers me. I would lay the wall out flat on concrete and hammer that area flat. I would then install 24" wide sheet of flat stock metal on the inside of the wall. Once the wall is in place, the metal goes inside the bottom track, up against the wall. The top edge gets taped to the sidewall. This extra reinforcement should prevent the creases from coming back as soon as the pool is full.