Installing Liner Under Pool Deck

by Deanna
(Tucson, AZ)

We bought a home with a 15x30 above ground pool. About 2 weeks ago we had a blow out. (10,000 gallons of water rushed into our yard).

We want to replace the liner and went ahead and purchased one but our problem is the deck that was built around it. Our deck is just above the top rail (by 2" or 3") and actually covers part of the top rail in some places. ( on 2 sides of the pool).

In order to access the "wall" we have to climb under the deck. Do you have any suggestions on how to install it. We tried using the shop vac method (without the top rails on) but our liner wasn't in straight, so we had to start over. Any advise about how to get it in straight and how to deal with the deck? Any advise would be appreciated!

Thanks, Deanna

Hi Deanna.

Decks can easily cause problems with changing a liner. By looking over some of my liner pages you will learn some different methods used.

Above Ground Pool, Deck and Awning

Overlap Liners

Beaded Liners

Vinyl Liner Replacement

Above Ground Pool Liner Installation

The way I would install your liner is to work from inside the pool. The most important part is to get the liner set straight. To do this you need to have the seams running straight, either end to end, or side to side.

All oval pool liners will have seams on the bottom of the pool. The most common, and easiest, is a single seam running down the center of the liner. This seam would need to be set in the dead center of each end. Some liners may have two center seams, in which case the center of the those two seams would be the dead center of the pool. Occasionally the seams may run from side to side. You may have a seam one foot off your last buttress post, and another one at the other end.

Whatever the bottom seam configuration is it needs to be set to center the liner in the pool. The seam connecting the bottom to the side is your next consideration. It needs to be the same at both ends and at both sides. At the ends the seam may lay in the center of the cove, and at the sides it may be just over the top of the cove. It does not matter where it lies as long as it is the same at both ends and at both sides.

Once the liner is in straight I start water filling and smooth the bottom out as it fills. When the water is close to the edge I set it and install the coping. I let the water pull the sides smooth and do not use a shop vac.