Someone asked me to help them reinstall their above ground pool liner. Basically the pump broke, it got filled with branches and junk. So, it was drained and cleaned.

But, now the liner has pulled away from the pool after the pool/liner has been cleaned. To me it feels sort of hard and I am thinking if it is filled with water, it will not squish back into place, but, crack from the weight of the water.

Am I correct or will it just push back into place once water is added?

 

I though a shop vacuum used on the 'outside' of the liner was used to pull out sags and wrinkles.

But I do concur, if the liner is to stiff, it might crack.

 

I would go with a new liner and get a cover for the pool. Too much time and water involved to take a chance.

 

When a liner gets stiff it becomes brittle and you will be fixing leaks all the time. A new liner feels nice and flexible like a thick kiddie pool.

I played this game with a worn out liner for a couple years and it cost me hundreds of dollars in lost water. An old liner will probably push back into place with a full load of water, but it may be uneven and my experience is that it will be leaky and develop new tears.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

Thanks guys, that is what I thought.

Trouble is the guy is retiring and selling his house and can't or does not want to afford to fix it with a new liner, especially in this depressed market. Last two years houses here have lost an average of 17%.

Trouble is unfilled it is a worse liability. I might try the wet and dry vacuum to suck it back in.

 

been here before. The liner pulled away and when we filled it back the side of the pool buckled. We picked up another liner at the local pool supply and all my problems went away.

 

price the liner..above ground pool liners aren't that bad. I hope the pool isn't too big. Better yet. sell the pool to a scrap yard...i.e. good prices for aluminum scrap these days. Pools rarely increase the value of a house, especially an above ground older pool. Pools are a very big pain in the butt and many prospective home buyers know this, and don't have the desire to have a safety hazard in the back yard.
Any way, liners can be destroyed by improper water chemical balance. 2 years ( or less) of poorly maintained water balance ( pH, alkalinity , etc.) can stretch or damage a new liner. If the liner is close to 10 years old it has probably seen its last season also.
New liners are installed by preparing pool walls, raking and brushing out floor flat (remove stones, sticks etc.) re-sand floor if needed. install liner, attach bead to top coping, fllatten out as water is poured into bottom, correct wrinkles before pool is full. I watched my neighbor install his 24 x 16 square ester williams liner in about two hours, it only cost a couple hundred.

 

If the guy is selling the house, junk the pool. Frankly if I was interested in buying the house the above ground pool would have to go before I signed on the dotted line.

 

Thank you everyone, we decided to leave well enough alone after relaying the info. to him.