Anyone know how to install a vinal liner for a swimming pool?

Question

we have a partially inground vinyl lined pool. does anyone know where to buy the liner and how difficult it would be to install myself? trying to save $2,500

Answer 1

Well, I'm not sure who quoted you 2500 bucks for a liner including installation, but they ought to be shot.  Generally, you can purchase a liner (27 mil) and have it installed for under 1500 bucks for most in grounds. That includes minor bottom repairs if needed as well.

Wholesale on a 16X32 for example, is only 500 bucks. Retail is around 900.. The actual install only takes a pro crew a couple of hours to drain and remove the old liner , do minor bottom parging and hang the new liner and suck it back. But...you need to know what you're doing and that liner will also be custom made for your pool unless the pool was built EXACTLY to spec and you still have the original drawings. Unlikely. The big thing here is the measurement. Get it wrong and you just blew a wad of cash that not even a Pro can help you out of that jam.

The principal steps involved are:

1/ For some pools, it's possible to do a liner measurement without draining the pool just yet. Pros know how. It lets you use the pool while the new liner is being welded and reduces down time. For really complex shapes that may not be possible and it has to be measured after draining and removal of the old liner. Judgement call here.

2/  Just before installation, bottom clean up and possible repairs, taping wall seams, taping returns main drain and skimmer openings. Dealing with any rust and calcium on the wall panels. Repairing coping track if required.

Opening the liner box in the pool , hanging it in the track, moving it around for best fit. If you have built in stairs...you want a Pro. They're tricky. One false move and you just wasted a lot of money and effort. When you have best fit, install the liner vac in a decent spot  and use liner lock to hold the liner in on either side of the vac, tape around the vac pipe to help seal and suck back the liner. Kick out or push wrinkles to the wall. There WILL be packing creases. If all looks good, start filling with your hose directed onto the deepest part of the pool. No point in staining it with the metal hose end or with any dissolved minerals in your fill water. If there's a main drain, you'll need to go wading when there's more than 6 inches down there, install your new main drain ring and gasket. When the screws are in, cut out the material in the centre and put the cap on. Have someone help you out of the pool, that slope will be slick. Keep the liner vac on until you have at least a foot of water in the shallow end. When you have that, turn off and remove the liner vac and put the remaining liner in the coping track. When your pool is full, install the new return and skimmer face plates. Remove the material inside the the openings. Fire it all up and have a beer.

Answer 2

To be honest, if you got a quoted price of 2500, 2/3 of that cost is probably the cost of the liner.    So you are probably only going to be saving  yourself maybe 800 bucks.

The upside is... yes... you save money.... the downside is that, if you install it yourself, and you do it incorrectly, you could end up replacing a liner in 2 years at a cost of 2500 again for trying to save 800 bucks.

Also... Because your pool is partially submerged, you cant just place the liner in the pool and attach the liner to the sides.... there are special steps that are taken to make sure that your liner lies flat and does not have any areas where it would be raised <so when you step on it its flat, and not rolled up onto itself so you can feel it with your feet>

now to get to the basics of your liner question...

you can probably order your liner at any pool store.. For the most part they all use the same distributors, so if you tell them you are going to be doing it yourself, and want a price for the liner they'll give you one...

As for the install... Because its inground partially, you are going to need an air blower attached to a piece of PVC with a bunch of holes cut out of it... this is then stuck down the side, and while the liner is being put into place, this allows the liner to be sucked to the wall.  so that you can remove any areas where its been raised or did not lie flat on the bottom.

Some pools have a track, and others have an over the top type style, you are going to need  to know which style of liner you have.  Odds are you have a liner that fits into a track.

Also, you are going to have to remove face plates to the skimmers and return lines, and cut into your brand new liner to create the holes for the openings your poo lrequires.

For the hassle, your best et is to have it done professionally.  Ive worked on swimming pools for many many years, and although my knowledge of liner installation is very little, you would be better off to have someone do it that knows what they are doing.