1) Please post a picture of the bottom. A pool brush or vac head on a pole near the bunching will help with judging the size.

2) A picture of the corner will help too.

3) How old is the liner?

Scott

Here's a picture of the corner.

and here's the bottom. Kind of hard to see, but largest bunching is making flaps, in my estimation, about 1" high or so. There are a lot of smaller creases throughout the whole pool. I'm assuming the liner is original and 9 years old. I have the original bill of sale for the pool and the liner is guarenteed for 25 years, but that might not be transferable because we are the new owners. Thanks in advance.

1) No liner will last 25 years. The warranty is a control to get the homeowner to by the next one from them.

2) Average real world average lifespan of a liner is about 10 years. Sometimes they last longer, sometimes they don't.

3) I would guess that you had a temporary high water table and it flowed a bit. This lifted the liner, aka floated and shifted. The water receded, the liner did not seat where it was, the folds formed and pulled the liner bead out.

4) The folds are now permanent. This liner, if it is in fact 9 years old, cannot be drained and reseated. The vinyl will have lost sufficient plasticity, will shrink when emptied, and would likely tear on refilling.

5) A temporary reinsertion of the liner bead may be possible. Boil a couple of large pots of water and bring them to the deck near the separation. Take a smaller pot and pour some hot water on the pool side of the liner. THis will warm and soften the vinyl so that some of the liner bead can be reinserted. Repeat as needed. This will not last long if it works. Replace the liner this year.

Scott

Thanks Scott, I really appreciate the advice. Time to start pricing out liners.

Those wrinkles are caused by a low pH condition for an extended period of time. The acidic condition removes the finish on the liner which lets water penetrate the material and expands the liner which causes the wrinkles. It is similar to particle board swelling when it gets wet.

I have replaced two liners that were 32 years old but the average life is about 15 to 16 years. The life of the liner will be extended by a lot if you keep an eye on the pH, chlorine level, and total alkalinity. I have be in the business 52 years and counting.

Tanguay - Since formaldehyde and lead were removed from the liner manufacturing process, no liner will ever last 32 years again. UV inhibitor technology is increasing, but also expensive, and pool owners are lucky to see 10 years these days. But I agree, more than just wrinkles from the water under the liner those do look suspiciously like pH wrinkles. Basically, the water in this pool would have been acidic enough to cook shrimp in and once the chemical structure of the vinyl changes it can not be fixed from this condition.

In regards to the liner pull from the track in the corner - heat a kettle of water and poor boiling water all of the liner in this area. Immediately grab the now scalding liner and manhandle it back into the track. Corners are the toughest part - as are old liners where they have lost their elasticity from UV damage. If you lower your water level to have a few feet of wall showing (never lower than 12" of water left in the shallow end) then you might have a shot. Most likely, in my professional opinion, this will not work and you will still end up needing a new liner - but if you wanted to try, that is how I would go about trying to resolve the problem. I hope this information is helpful!

we replaced our pool liner last summer. It is pulling off around corner creating a wrinkle in the bottom of pool. Liner is less than a year old.. .I understand this is a holiday weekend but if any pro out there could tell us what to do I'd so appreciate it. My husband keeps this pool pristine, checking levels, shocking...whatever, all the time. We live in Charlotte, Nc. The weather here warm today...(if pool liner is shrinking or shrinking or something). Anyway, Please help! I feel like we got ripped off with this liner or they did something wrong installing!

Take a hair dryer and soften the liner and stuff it back into the bead. NOT A HEAT GUN!!!

There are pieces called bead lock, that are plastic wedges to hold liners in place between the track and the liner. In the meantime, a few dimes will keep the liner in place until you can get the bead lock pieces.

Corners are notorious for pulling out as there is a lot of tension.

Thanks so much for response. We got the liner put back but there is ripple in bottom of pool liner and bubbles. I feel like this is going to be a constant problem. Our concern is it continues to pull and also we never get ripples and creases out of the bottom now.

Our pool liner lasted 27 years. We have inground with wood walls 4'-6' deep. We had the pole installed in 1997 and new liner installed on Monday. The pool installer said she has two pool liners that are over 40 years old.

Our pool liner lasted 27 years. Inground wood wall 4' to 6' 18'x36'. We had it installed in 1997 and just had it replaced on Monday. Our installer said she has a couple of her originals that are over 40 years old.

I replaced a liner this spring for a customer I've been servicing for 38 years.

The liner was the original at 48 years old when the pool was bult in 1976. Steel walls.