Slipping Overlap Pool Liner

by Dana
(BC, Canada)

Is there a way to fix a slipping liner (overlap kind) on an above ground swimming pool without draining water from the pool? The size of slipped liner is approximately 5 feel long so it's too big to fix it with hot water/ stretching as it was originally suggested by few people to us.

We tried this recently: pouring hot water behind the liner and stretching, pulling the liner (yes, it would stretch but not for long enough to be able to fix it and not enough in size). My husband thinks we will have to replace the liner next year as this one is not fixable - but I still hope there may be a way to fix this??




Hi Dana. I am afraid your husband is probably right. But that does depend on how old the liner is. The older the liner the less elasticity they will have. With a fresh liner, less than two years old, I would try to fix it. But this cannot be done with water in the pool.

I loved the hot water thing, I had never heard of that. The theory is exactly right; a liner needs heat to stretch. If you drained and refilled the pool on a very hot day, when the liner was in direct sunlight for at least a few hours, it might work. But to do it with a pool full of water, there is no chance, but I loved your idea.

You would need to drain the pool down to about an inch or two, not all the way. You would then remove to rails and pull the liner up and back into place. If the liner is tucked under creating a double layer of liner under the coping it will hold better. You set the liner and start filling the pool. If the temp is high enough, the liner young enough, and the sun bright enough, it might work.

If you do need to replace the liner be sure to take a peek at these pages.

Vinyl Liner Overhang

Above Ground Pool Liner Installation

Vinyl Liner Replacement