Beaded Liner Installation Problem

by P Fisher

We moved a 36'x54" pool and bought new liner. Had a pro help install whole thing. We begin to fill pool and I pointed out that one side of the liner was pulled about 28" from the wall on one side.

Pro said it's OK, it will stretch. The rest of the liner is flush with the wall. Well, the beaded liner pulled out about an inch, when I went to attach it half the liner zipped out really fast. Pro now says we need to put more sand on the floor. Does this sound right?

Hi.

I think the pro is wrong. You should center the liner correctly and try again. The liner should easily stretch a few inches to meet the sidewall, but 28" is ridiculous.

There are two important factors in centering a beaded liner. The first has to do with the top bead. It needs to have even tension all the way around. It sound to me like the installer put normal tension until he saw he was running out of liner with too much pool left to go. He then started pulling the liner causing one section of the pool to be pulled much tighter than the rest of the pool.

At the point of seeing the liner needed to be stretched more he should have taken it all out and started over, pulling the liner just a touch all the way around. This part is so critical. There are also times we get all the way around a pool and have a lot of extra liner. It is very tempting to go back a few feet and start bunching the liner up. This causes one section of the liner to be baggy, while the rest of the pool is OK.

Even tension around the top is important, and usually takes us a few tries to get just right. All liners are different, they don't all fit the same. Weather conditions make a difference also. It is very easy, when it's 110 out, to get around the pool with a ton of extra vinyl. It stretches so easy you don't even know you are doing it. On colder days it's easy to forget you should be pulling on the bead as you install it. You get around and are short of liner. It's time to take it out and start all over. After doing this a few times your fingers become numb.

The other part of centering a liner is the bottom seam. It needs to be the same distance from the cove all the way around. Until it is the water should not be turned on.

This page may help also.

Beaded Liner Installation