When Its Time To Call In A Professional
Eventually, your patchwork, no matter how perfectly done, will come apart. Additionally, you can only patch up the same holes so many times before they become bigger and bigger.
Its not your fault thats just the pool ownership life.
Of course, you cant mend all pool liner rips and holes with DIY patching. Especially if you have larger holes and tears in your liner, youll want to start looking for a new one right away. For more on full liner replacements, read my article on how to replace your vinyl pool liner.
So, if you notice that your pool liner is ripping at the seams, is super old and faded, is bubbling up, or worse, your best bet is to skip the waterproof tape and call a professional immediately.
How To Replace Your Above Ground Pool Liner In 8 Easy Steps
If you find yourself needing to replace your above ground swimming pool liner, either because of tears or excessive staining, you dont need to hire a professional.
As long as you have a little time on your hands, you can save yourself some serious money by doing it yourself.
Hiring a professional can cost well over $1,000 on top of the cost of the liner!
And since we are all about getting stuff done ourselves and saving money around here, Im gonna show you how its done!
Your Liner Has Started To Fade
Exposure to chemicals and the suns UV rays can cause your liner to fade over time. Generally, this is more of an aesthetic issue than anything else. A bright new liner can do a lot to give your home and backyard a fresh, updated look. In general, fading does indicate that your liner is old or that there are chemical imbalances in your pool, which can lead to more serious issues down the road. The good news is, there are some things you can do to help .
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The Best Option: Plugzit The Sustainable Quick And Permanent Fix
PLUGZIT uses no chemicals to permanently fix the hole or tear in your pool. Instead, using basic physics in a neat design, you can simply plug the hole in 20 seconds from the moment you find the hole and have your PLUGZIT in hand. Better still, you do not need to clean the hole , brush air bubbles out, or wait for 24 hours.
How To Repair A Torn Swimming Pool Liner
If you notice a rip in the lining of your above ground swimming pool the daunting thought of draining your swimming pool comes to mind. With Pool Part Mart swimming pool liner repair kit it does not have to be such a huge task. In fact, the best way to repair a rip in the swimming pool liner is when the water is still in the pool itself.
What causes a tear in your above ground swimming pool liner?
Above ground swimming pool liners are made from vinyl and although built to be hard wearing and withstand regular usage, unfortunately, rips do occur. Normally a rip is caused by a sharp object hitting the surface. We would always recommend that pool toys are of the inflatable nature and glasses are kept out of them to prevent ripping in your swimming pool liner.
How fix your swimming pool liner?
Pool Part Marts Pool Liner Repair Kit it’s simple and can be completed in five easy steps once your repair kit has arrived.
What products are best to use?
How quickly should you act when you notice a tear?
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How To Patch Above Ground Pool Liner
So your swim season is in full gear, the water is fresh and clear, youve had some successful swimming pool parties and youve got some more planned before the end of the season. But then one day you notice that the water level of your pool is a lot lower than it should be even taking into account any water evaporation. You probably dont want to admit it, but it looks like your pool liner has a hole. This is something you want to fix as soon as possible. The longer you leave it more likely the liner will fail completely. So, to help you out weve created a guide of how to patch above ground pool liner. Read on
How Can You Tell If Your Pool Liner Is Leaking
Checking for leaks in the vinyl liner The easiest way to check for a leaking liner is to use food coloring. First off, fill up the pool with water just in case the leak is near the surface. Feel around the pool liner until you find a spot thats softer or squishes to the touch, which can indicate a leak.
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Patching Your Pool Liner In An Above Ground Pool
If you determine your above ground pool needs a pool liner patch it’s important to take care of the repair quickly. Your pool will continue to drain until it reaches the level of the hole. Depending on the location of the tear you may need an expert to complete the repair. If the leak is near the top rail, the water might only go down a couple of inches. But if it’s near the bottom of the wall or the floor of the pool, the extensive water loss could collapse the pool and turn your yard into a muddy mess.
Faded Or Stained Liner
Unfortunately, pool liners will become faded after years of exposure to the sun and chlorine. Sadly, no paint exists to touch up a faded pool liner. However, if the fading is concentrated at the waterline, you can easily repair the liners look by adding an adhesive strip that covers its top six inches.
Many liners become stained when water chemistry is unbalanced. Once your water is balanced, many stains will naturally disappear. Otherwise, you can purchase a stain removal chemical for use on vinyl liners.
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S To Replace An Above Ground Pool Liner
To replace your liner you could hire a professional and sit back with a glass of sweet tea. But if you are the do-it-yourself type, that may not be your style. Here are the basic steps to replace an above ground pool liner if you want to try your hand at home.
How Long Will A Patch Repair Last On An Above Ground Pool
Learning how to find a leak in an above ground pool and then fix it will undoubtedly help to prolong its life sometimes for a good few years.
However, the patches won’t last forever. How long exactly depends on how big the crack was to begin with, the quality of the repair patch, and also where the leak is. If it’s somewhere that gets a lot of traffic, such as near the steps, it’s likely to weaken quicker.
Eventually, as your above ground pool liner thins and develops more and more leaks, the time will come to replace it completely. On the bright side, this will give you the perfect opportunity to try out some new backyard pool ideas.
Vinyl patches won’t last forever, but they will allow you to keep using your pool for longer
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How Much Do Pool Liners Cost
Pool liners can range anywhere from $100-900, and if you install it yourself, that should be your total cost other than supplies you might need to get the job done.
The overlap liners are the least expensive, but there isnt a lot of cost difference between the other types. The price is usually based primarily on the size.
Ripped Or Torn Vinyl Liners
Small tears, 1-2 inches in length, can be easily patched with a vinyl liner patch kit.
Large tears, those of several inches to several feet, can also be patched using larger pieces of vinyl, but the long-term success of the patch may be doubtful. Many people would also rather not have a patchwork quilt for a pool liner and may prefer to replace when budget allows.
Patches tend to have the best success when they are small, and not in a corner or too close to the bead, or any of the cuts to the vinyl: steps, returns, skimmers, lights. Vinyl repairs on the wall are usually successful, if the vinyl is not overly stretched and stressed in that area. If its high on the wall, patch it dry low wall or floor patches are usually patched wet, or underwater.
If the vinyl liner is very old, rips and tears will occur, seemingly on their own. Vinyl liners of a certain age become hard and brittle, and can easily snap, or tear horizontally, near the waterline, as shown in the top image.
There is likely no real need to replace the liner for just a small tear, or even a large one, but if the overall condition of the liner is leading to tears and rips, there will soon be many more, and at some point, its time to plan for a pool liner replacement.
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Blow Out The Liner To Remove Wrinkles
If you have a high-volume pump, you can use it to blow the pool liner wrinkles away. To blow out the wrinkles, increase the water pressure gradually. By blowing out the wrinkles, you blow out the air between the liner and the frame. Once the wrinkles straighten out, remove the suction to pull out the air that youve blown beneath the pool liner.
Fiberglass Pools As An Alternative Option
All this talk about tears and patches can seem daunting, but the reality is most punctures and tears are easily repaired using cost-effective methods. With that said, if you are planning to upgrade your backyard paradise, a fiberglass pool might be a better option.
Fiberglass pools arent in the same price range as vinyl liner pools, but they are low-maintenance and have significantly lower lifetime costs compared to concrete and vinyl liner pools.
If you want to learn more about your fiberglass pool options, you can browse our catalog of models, try out our free pool pricing calculator, or contact us to request pricing and information using the button below.
Want to replace your existing pool with a fiberglass unit? Read our article below to learn about the benefits and how much it might cost:
To research more inground pool options, download our free ebook below, visit our learning center, or check out our extensive educational video library today!
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How To Fix A Liner That Has Started To Pull Away
For the most part, resetting or pulling a liner is going to be the same as long as the issue that you have is similar. While there may be nuances to each different type of liner, the process is generally the same. Heres what you need to check and do:
Most Common Pool Leaks
One thing any pool installer would tell you is that fixing the leaky sections of a vinyl pool liner is a whole lot easier than finding where exactly the hole is located. Unless the damage to your liner is very obvious, youll have to find a hole or two the size of a pinprick.
In fact, this task is so challenging, that there are some professionals who turn down this type of job. There are also professionals who specialize in this task alone.
One thing you need to know is that above pool leaks are not only due to a damaged liner there are other possible causes for it.
To give you an idea, heres a list of where leaks usually happen:
- Pool liners vinyl liners can last as long as more than a decade, but they can also last less than a year. They can be quite fragile any sharp object, such as tree branches, can cause puncture holes and tears on it. Even toys with sharp edges can do much damage.
And if you were unable to properly level the ground for your above ground pool, the rocks on the ground beneath the pool floor will eventually cause tears to the flooring.
- Light fixtures installed if you have pool lights installed, their screws can get loose. When this happens, the formerly watertight seal that was formed becomes lax. This will also happen when the light cap, or even the pool light itself, also detaches or gets cracks. Noticing water leaks near ceiling light fixtures is another issue to look out for, although inside your house.
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Liner Bead Popped Out
Swimming pool liners don’t typically pop out without cause. There are two main reasons why your liner may have slipped the track.First, your liner may fit poorly or be incorrectly sized. Upon initial installation these liners are often coaxedto fit up in the track with some patience and a lot of extra pulling and tugging. However, as vinyl liners age over time theylose some of their elasticity. Combine this with slight contraction of the material in cold weather and/or the “floatingeffect” of a rising ground water-table during winter rains and a poorly fitting liner can easily pop the track. Second, an oldliner track may be stretch out and no longer holds the track as tight as it once did. Or you may have a combination of thesetwo problems.
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The Fix:“T-Lock” or “Liner Lock” is a often a simple answer for fixing this type of problem. Learn more atour What is T-Lock page and for cost and ordering information see T-Lock Prices. Also, next time you are in the market for a new pool liner, consider a custom pool liner made to your pool’s exact dimensions for superior fit, quality, and longevity. |
Clear Away Sharp Objects
Unfortunately, your backyard can harbor plenty of hazards to your pool liner – from fallen branches to thrown rocks to other backyard elements. Remove as many of those items as possible from your pool area to avoid puncture damage. Prune your shrubs, remove fallen branches, and place decorative stones far away from the pool.
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Pool Liner Tear Know When To Repair Or Replace Your Vinyl Liner
If you have a vinyl pool, you are probably aware the liner requires inspection when hunting for a pool leak. If you find a tear in the liner, its important to have it fixed immediately, but the question that you should ask first is whether or not the replacement of the liner is needed or if it simply requires repair.
Vinyl swimming pools are available in a variety of shapes and designs. The vinyl liner will look like a concrete or fiberglass pool with different designs that imitate tile and mosaic patterns. But vinyl is a softer material, and a vinyl pool liner tear left unattended can ruin your pool.
Above ground pools and some varieties of in-ground pools use vinyl liners. Bead is the name of the top edge of the vinyl liner. The bead attaches to the track on the deck coping that holds it in place for in-ground pools. The liner bead must fit perfectly on the frame to keep the material in place without wrinkles or bubbles.
The material under the liner for in-ground pools is a sand or cementitious mixture on the bottom and sides of the pool. Above ground vinyl pools are usually in a steel frame.
Vinyl pool liners last about 6 to 12 years depending on the location and wear on the pool. You may have a warranty that says it will cover the liner for 20 to 30 years, but the warranty usually has limitations. Vinyl pools are less expensive than the gunite or fiberglass varieties that have a longer lifespan.
