Installing Beaded Liner in Oval Pool

by Nancy Hostetter
(Darlington, Pa )

We recently were given a 15x30 oval Atlantic pool. All we needed was to purchase a new liner which was a Chanel liner.

We have never owned a pool before so we thought we did all our homework and did tons of reading before we purchased a liner from an online store. The liner arrived and we gathered our family and friends together for the install.

Well, then came the problem, when we finally got the liner around the pool we discovered that we had about a 10"-12" gap of extra liner around the Chanel edge so the liner won't hang on the rail.

When I contacted the supplier they tell me it's the right liner, what is wrong with this? And is this the correct liner or is there anyway to fix this, since they won't replace this liner I'm out $300.00. Please someone help me I'm so disappointed and don't know how to fix this problem.

Hi Nancy

I am assuming you are talking about a beaded liner. I have never heard of it revered to as a Chanel liner. The part the bead is inserted into is normally called a bead receiver.

You say you got around the pool and had extra liner, again, that is what I assume you mean. This does happen a lot. It is just as common to get around the pool and be short of liner.

During the summer months the liner will be very pliable and

can easily be stretched. During colder months there is very little you can do to stretch the liner.

When this happens, too much liner, the entire liner must be taken out of the groove and you start over. This time you push back on the bead as you are installing it. You try to bunch it up. This may take a few times to get just right, but that is normal. The important thing is that you do it evenly all the way around the pool. You do not bunch up most of the pool only to find you are short and then stretch like crazy the last ten feet or so to make it fit. Do it evenly as many time as it takes to make it fit evenly all the way around.

In colder whether the problem happens in reverse. You get all the way around and find you are short a good twelve inches of liner. You start over, you maybe wait for some sunshine and then you pull the liner as you are putting it in the groove.

With an oval liner be sure you are perfectly lined up at one end. There will be seams somewhere on the bottom that will tell you when the liner is centered. When you get to the opposite end, the seams should again be centered, if not that is a good indicator you are either stretching too much or bunching up too much.

Be sure and read this page, it might be helpful also.

Beaded Liner Installation


Comments for Installing Beaded Liner in Oval Pool

Click here to add your own comments

Jul 14, 2011
 Is it easy to take the bead out of the receiver?
by: Jessica L

Is it easy to undo the bead liner out of the receiver, I don't want to rip it, it was quite hard going in!!! I actually found ONE seam line (on the wall part that I hadn't seen on the floor b/c it looked like I had two seam lines on the floor so I was thinking it was centered) the one wall seam is way off to the right of the pool. Is that the seam that goes in the center?

I have NO idea how to "bunch" up the liner b/c I can't see how it can fit into the receiver but I am going to read the link provided now.

Thank you!~ oooh what a job this is! I feel like I pulled my back just putting the sucker in.

Hi Jessica

The liner should come out very easily, getting it started is usually the hardest part, put you already have that part done. Pulling the liner straight away from the receiver should get it to go. Sometimes it needs a little upward motion. Once you find the way it wants to come out it should go quickly.

The side seam, the one going up the side of the pool is useless. You ignore that one. You want the ones going from end to end. There might be one, two or three. It is even possible that there are a few seams going side to side instead of end to end. They make the liners so many different ways you have to lay it out and examine it closely.

As you are putting the bead in the track you should be pushing back on it, pushing it back against what has already been set in place. Stretching means gently pulling on the liner as you are putting it in the bead receiver.

Jul 15, 2011
 feeling blonde
by: jessica L

Had a blonde moment...The "excess" liner that was not able to go into the bead receiver where a good start of pulling the liner back out, and I forgot the whole point of a bead receiver is that I don't have to take off all the top rails again except for probably when I am putting the liner back in well, at least near the straight rails!

I counted five seams, and I have 6 straight rails..... I think I have figured out the center. I'm still a little confused about bunching up the liner but I am going to try and find a youtube video, which of course will probably make it look easy and they will have a perfectly fitted liner...LOL If I don't get this right I am just paying someone to do it!

Thank you for your help again and again and so fast!

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Ask the Pool Pro.