New Above Ground Pool Liner

Hi We just bought an 18 ft round pool above ground. The liner is 3 years old. We are having trouble getting it to fit the whole pool.

Is it true you must by a new liner each time you tear down the pool and put it back up?


Hi. Yes, in most cases this is true. A liner that is a year or two old can sometimes be reused but most of the time it is not worth the trouble. Liners lose their elasticity after a couple of seasons, they shrink when emptied and will not stretch back into their original shape.

The way to find out for sure is to unfold the liner and hook up the skimmer. Take the liner and push it into the cove area under the skimmer. Go directly across the pool from the skimmer and push the liner into the cove. With both sides of the liner positioned correctly at the bottom of the pool try to pull the liner over the top. If the area across from the skimmer has plenty of liner to go up and over the wall you should be able to install the liner.

The drawbacks to installing a used liner, when it is possible, are the wrinkles and footprints that will be unavoidable. A new liner can be installed without footprints and wrinkles. Most of the time they look a lot nicer also.

These pages might help with the installation of a new liner.


Above Ground Pool Liner Installation

Vinyl Liner Replacement