New Liner Install Problem

by Phil
(Perris, Ca.)

Help???

I hired a local above ground pool outfit to install a new liner in my 18x38' long oval Secard pool. The old liner had a leak in a seam so went ahead and paid the money for a new liner and a crew to install it. Now it's NYE and I see that one of the buttresses has slid underground and/or lifted up enough to have the strap under the sand under the liner IN the pool coming up.

What to do? Not sure if the contractor will want to come out and fix this or not since it took forever for him to come out to do the liner in the first place.

I haven't taken pictures yet. Will do that in the morning in the sunlight. So far the liner doesn't look like it's ruptured or leaking but the strapping is showing through the liner on the bottom.

Hi Phil

Any time you can see metal under a pool liner it could be a problem. If it gets bumped by any cleaning item it could start a hole. If the metal is sharp it could make a hole on it's own. I would make sure this gets taken care of.

I don't know how just changing the liner would have caused this but if the installer knew there was not enough sand to effectively cover the straps he should have said something.

Comments for New Liner Install Problem

Click here to add your own comments

Apr 03, 2020
 There's enough sand
by: Phil

Yeah....I guess I wasn't that clear, I don't think the metal of the strapping is hitting the liner itself per se, but it has caused divets in the liner. I think there's still sand on top of the metal,etc. I contacted the contractor same time I posted here who said to call him in a couple weeks as he was out of town. That was in January and now it's April. Par for the course with this contractor as last year it took months to get him to come out after paying him $200 for leak detection. Months of the pool being empty as I drained it like he instructed.

Hi Phil

A vinyl pool should never sit empty. He should have told you when he would be there so you could have it drained a day or two before and started filling it as soon as he was done.

I hope it all works out for you.

Apr 23, 2021
 Problem is worse now
by: Phil

What's happened since I first posted is nothing and now another buttress has slid outward in the mud. this contractors worker didn't line up the top plates right and drill new holes for them to boot. I keep thinking this might have something to do with that as again the pool sat drained/empty for several weeks before these guys would come out to change the liner. This contractor refuses to come out and fix this saying the whole pool needs replacing. I highly doubt that, but also another contractor who's come to look at it refuses to help with it. All I think I need is the pool drained, liner rolled up halfway/out of the way, dig sand up at the strapping, fix strapping, bring wall back to original position then put everything back together. Liner's barely a year old.

Hi With a fresh liner like yours you should be correct.
Jul 25, 2022
 Older Waterway filter......
by: Phil

Ok.....now with my older Waterway Clearwater 1 filter I sent the plugged up/worn out grids to Florida to have new fabric put on. Now no matter what I do I'm getting DE blown into the pool. I can't find/see any tears or holes or loose stitching anywhere in the grids. I DID have a cracked "Air bleeder valve" (500-7100 that goes on the bottom and shoots into the return) so I used some Christie's Red Hot Blue glue that I use for sprinkler pipe to try and seal it up because I can't find this part anywhere. It was air tight after gluing and when I re-installed it. PLUS put some blue glue on the base of the "manifold" but it's not really a manifold. This older model doesn't have any kind of switch system like the more modern DE filters have. I can send pics but there's no button on here? This pool went green and even tho it's clearing up a little to finally see the bottom somewhat, trying to vacuum the bottom only gets blown back into the pool.
Jul 26, 2022
 DE filter
by: PHil

Ok.....I finally figured out the culprit of the DE blowing back into the pool from the return. Turns out there was a crack in the plastic in the underside of the grid support base, where it slides onto the inside rim there. Took the Red Hot Blue Glue to that and no more DE shooting into the pool.........for now anyways. Now looking to replace this part but unfortunately because the filter is "obsolete" from Waterway, can't find parts. I'll keep red hot blue gluing till I can find one. Next is getting the new footpad in for the Zodiac Barracuda Ranger cleaner so I can use it to clean up the pool bottom of dirt and DE. Figured the DE on the pool bottom can add to the small amount of new DE I have in the filter now.

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 Above Ground Pool Liners.