Overlap Liner Installation Procedure

by Jason

When installing the liner, should I place the thin plastic strips (coping is what I think I am referring to) over the metal to protect the vinyl or drape the vinyl over the metal and then place these strips over the liner which would be over the metal. Then place the metal top rods over that plastic strip?

As a side note, I would love to thank you and your site for being so unbelievably helpful and supportive! It is obvious that you truly care about your job/profession and us that are interested. You don't see this type of helpfulness on other sites that I have searched and for that, I sincerely thank you!

Jason Luttrell

Thank you Jason,

I'm glad it is all helpful. The vinyl goes over top of the wall, then the coping and then the retaining rods. It's pretty much that easy. Be sure to read some of the related pages below, especially the one about what to do with all that excess vinyl you pull over the wall. I fold it and tuck it back into the pool, leaving an even two inches hanging over the wall.

It's helpful to make use of my favorite tool, the old fashion wood cloths-pin. These handy tools will make liner installation so much easier.

Vinyl Liner Overhang

Vinyl Liner Replacement

Expandable Liner Installation

Overlap Liners

Slipping Overlap Pool Liner

by Dana
(BC, Canada)

Is there a way to fix a slipping liner (overlap kind) on an above ground swimming pool without draining water from the pool? The size of slipped liner is approximately 5 feel long so it's too big to fix it with hot water/ stretching as it was originally suggested by few people to us.

We tried this recently: pouring hot water behind the liner and stretching, pulling the liner (yes, it would stretch but not for long enough to be able to fix it and not enough in size). My husband thinks we will have to replace the liner next year as this one is not fixable - but I still hope there may be a way to fix this??

Hi Dana.

I am afraid your husband is probably right. But that does depend on how old the liner is. The older the liner the less elasticity they will have. With a fresh liner, less than two years old, I would try to fix it. But this cannot be done with water in the pool.

I loved the hot water thing, I had never heard of that. The theory is exactly right; a liner needs heat to stretch. If you drained and refilled the pool on a very hot day, when the liner was in direct sunlight for at least a few hours, it might work. But to do it with a pool full of water, there is no chance, but I loved your idea.

You would need to drain the pool down to about an inch or two, not all the way. You would then remove to rails and pull the liner up and back into place. If the liner is tucked under creating a double layer of liner under the coping it will hold better. You set the liner and start filling the pool. If the temp is high enough, the liner young enough, and the sun bright enough, it might work.

If you do need to replace the liner be sure to take a peek at these pages.

Vinyl Liner Overhang

Above Ground Pool Liner Installation

Vinyl Liner Replacement

Overlap Liner Too Big

I really messed up. I bought a 24' overlap liner for my 21' round pool. Won't I have major wrinkles on the walls by the time I get to the top? (I now have wrinkles on my face after I figured out what I did...)The bottom looks great.

I've got about 6 inches of water in it.
Any suggestions?

Thank You

Hi.

Having a smooth bottom is the most important part of keeping a pool clean, and being able to enjoy it. You will wind up with a lot of wrinkles on the sides but there is nothing you can do about that. Do your best with it, and use it until you wear it out or until you get tired of looking at it, and decide to buy a new one.

Two things to keep in mind as you are dealing with the excess liner on the sides. Keep the excess liner even all the way around. This should leave the liner bunched up pretty good at the top, where the coping goes, but not where you have huge overlaps of liner. Keeping it small and uniform will allow you a better chance of the coping staying in place and it will look a little nicer. The area over the skimmer and return should be as flat as possible. Installing a skimmer, or return, over massive wrinkles can easily cause unstoppable leaks.

This page might help also.

Vinyl Liner Overhang

Vinyl Liner Options

by Becca Dixon
(Wellington, Kansas)

We have a had an above ground pool with a beaded liner & we have had nothing but trouble with it. We can not get the top to stay in the bead.

We were told they were better than the over the edge ones. I am not convinced. Any ideas out there. We are replacing our pool after 12 years & want to get the right kind of liner. Thanks

Hi Becca.

I personally have nothing good to say about beaded liners. I find them practical only if you plan to cover the top rails of your pool with a deck like on this page.

Above Ground Pool, Deck and Awning

Otherwise I much prefer an overlap liner. I like the way I am able to install them with a flat, wrinkle free, base almost every time. I like having the flexibility in the sides to make them smooth every time, with no excess liner or wrinkles.

To learn more about liners visit these pages.

Overlap Liners

Beaded Liners

Expandable Liner Installation

Beaded Liner Installation

Above Ground Pool Liner Installation

Vinyl Liner Replacement

Vinyl Liner Overhang

Stretching an Overlap Liner

I just purchased an overlap liner for my 15'X30' above ground pool. Should the seem around the bottom(floor) of the liner be exactly 15'X30' or will it need to be stretched?

Hi.

The seam will never measure exactly 15 x 30. It will vary even with the amount of sun it is getting. The colder it is the smaller the liner will be. As it warms up it will actually become larger.

I feel the best way to install any overlap liner is to stretch it into place like shown on this page.

Above Ground Pool Liner Installation

It is also possible to install an oval overlap liner by setting the liner in the pool and opening it up. Sun is your best friend with both types of installation. Working inside the pool you would need to very carefully line up the seams to center the liner. At this point you would cloths pin it to the wall and recheck the alignment. Next you would want to smooth the bottom out as best possible and again check to make sure the liner is straight. When you are sure the liner is as straight and smooth as possible its time to start the water filling.

As the water fills I get on my hands and knees and push all the wrinkles to the sides smoothing the bottom out as smooth as possible. When doing this it's important to start in the center and work out in all directions so you do not throw off the alignment of the liner.

I use this method any time there is a deck in the way or some other reason that the liner cannot be stretched over the top rails. Stretching over the rails always works better and is always my first choice.

Bubble While Installing Vinyl Liner

by Rock
(California)

I found your site after I had already started with my liner install. I unfolded and laid the liner in the sun, and then refolded and put it in the center of the pool and attached one side to the pool with coping strips.

I did this as I worked my way around the pool and making sure the seam was on the birm at the pool wall. I stretched the liner out the best I could, and it was quite warm out so you know. The top rails and everything were removed ( before I read your site instructions,) and everything is going fine, except for one side of the pool, Id say a section of the liner say about the width of 3 of the posts, the liner is tight and bows inward towards the pool, like there is air behind it, because it is tight there.

All of the other sides hang OK, all sides have the same amount of overhang, and there is about 10 inches of water in the bottom of the pool. I was wondering if I should attach all of the coping strips, and top rails and just let the sun and the weight of the water stretch this last section into place, or would that be a bad idea. Wish I had read your install prior to doing it this way. Thanks In advance for your reply. Rock

Hi Rock.

I would think you need to get the coping strips on, and the stabilizer rods in place, as soon as possible. You have a pool that is exposed to the wind and could easily blow down. The pool needs some structure.

The liner should work itself out just fine, like you said, as it fills. There is a chance the liner could bubble at the top. If this happens it's no big deal, you just remove a few top rails and pull the liner tight.

So yes, I would install coping, rods and top rails, at the same time the pool is filling. You will not know the final outcome until the pool is full. But that's no big deal, the fix is really easy.