Vinyl Repair
Vinyl liner pools have a custom made sheet of vinyl between the water and the pool walls and floor. This is in contrast to a gunite or shotcrete pool which uses plaster as its waterproofing membrane. Vinyl liners typically lock their top edge, called a bead, into a track located on the bottom of the coping, at deck level. Underneath the liner is a sand or cementitious floor, troweled into place. The floor sidewalls come up to meet the walls, which are commonly 42” x 8 ft panels made of galvanized steel or thermoplastic. These walls are supported from behind so that they won't bow out against the weight of the water. All of the wall panels are secured together to make up the perimeter shape of the pool. For this reason, there are some limitations to the possible shapes of vinyl liner pools, but not many.
Vinyl liner pool sales are somewhat regional. Many areas of the country seem to have nothing but vinyl liner pools, whereas in other areas you'd be hard pressed to find even one. In many areas, there is a nice mix of vinyl and gunite pool builders to meet consumer demand for either product. In other areas, you will find builders who design/build primarily one or the other.
Generally speaking, the inground vinyl liner pool can be built more cheaply than the gunite (concrete) version. The same size pool, in vinyl, can be built in 1-2 weeks; for a price 30-50% less than a gunite/plaster pool, which can take 3-4 weeks to build. Of course, either can take longer to build, given weather delays, sub-contractor delays, or numerous other pools being built concurrently.
If you already own a vinyl pool; here are some service tips from our vinyl pool liner help file:
Vinyl liner pool sales are somewhat regional. Many areas of the country seem to have nothing but vinyl liner pools, whereas in other areas you'd be hard pressed to find even one. In many areas, there is a nice mix of vinyl and gunite pool builders to meet consumer demand for either product. In other areas, you will find builders who design/build primarily one or the other.
Generally speaking, the inground vinyl liner pool can be built more cheaply than the gunite (concrete) version. The same size pool, in vinyl, can be built in 1-2 weeks; for a price 30-50% less than a gunite/plaster pool, which can take 3-4 weeks to build. Of course, either can take longer to build, given weather delays, sub-contractor delays, or numerous other pools being built concurrently.
If you already own a vinyl pool; here are some service tips from our vinyl pool liner help file:
Vinyl Pool Liner Repair
Pool Liner Coming out of the Track?
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Inground Liners and Aboveground Liners are meant to fit tightly into the shape of the pool. If the liner was installed slightly off center, or if the liner is slightly too large or too small for the pool's shape, you may experience the bead popping out of the track.
With the use of a heat gun or hair dryer and a lot of elbow grease, the liner can be stretched and locked back into the track. Very hot water works well when you need to stretch a liner. If this is a continuing problem, the use of Liner Lock can help in keeping the bead in the track. Avoid over stretching or melting the liner (which I did once!). Use caution using electrical equipment (heat gun) around water (pool), and plug into a GFCI outlet.
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It's usually a lot of pulling and pushing to get a liner back into the track. In some cases you'll need to lower the water level a foot or more if a long stretch of the liner has popped out. Also, if the water is very cold, lowering the level may be necessary to build up enough heat.
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Use of a small hair dryer (blow dryer) can heat up the liner, making it more stretchable, and easier to get back into the track. Be careful, keep the dryer moving and not too close to the vinyl! When the liner is put back into the track (it can be exhausting work), consider using Liner Lock, to help hold it in the track. You can use pennies or Popsicle sticks as a temporary measure. Just shim them in above the bead, to take up space between the bead and the top of the track.