Pool Liner Shifted

We have had an above ground pool for about 15yrs. This is the second liner for this pool. We had a leak over the winter and drained the pool.

We cannot find the leak. We have been advised to fill pool and then look for leak with dye kit. The liner has shifted and is pulling to one side. What is the easiest way to fix this?



Hi. The very best way to find a leak in an above ground pool is done with an empty pool. So you may want to try this before refilling the pool.

You would pull a few top rails and release the liner, just enough so that you could climb over the top of it and get underneath it. Once you are underneath someone needs to pull the liner back over you leaving you in darkness. You will now start crawling around the outer edge of the pool. This is normally where the holes will be found. At some point you will see light shining through the liner. That would be your hole.

I have spent a lot of time under pool liners and it's pretty amazing what you may find. I have seen liners with so many holes it looks like you are viewing the Milky Way.

Once you have your holes fixed you then need to get it filled up. Anytime a pool is empty, the liner will shrink. So that is going to be part of your problem. If it is completely dry it will normally shift, as yours seems to have done.

Your refill needs to be done on a warm day in direct sunlight. This should allow the liner to become pliable enough to do the stretching that is needed. Before filling make sure the liner is centered the way it should be. Walking around the inside you will be able to set the bottom seam in the correct position all the way around the pool.

The skimmer area is the most important. That's where you start. The liner needs to be straight up and down and just a touch off the cove. You can work from there in either direction, setting the liner the same distance from the cove all the way around the pool. The liner may not be touching the cove, it may need to stretch, and that is OK, but it needs to be the same amount of stretch all the way around.