Liner's closing in on year twelve, opinions before I order

Started by Tom Brennan · · 4 replies
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#1
Binder says my current vinyl went in the spring I retired, so we are coming up on year twelve and it is starting to show at the stairs and along the shallow end wall. Never replaced one before, always inherited this one's original guy for touch ups. Trying to decide between a pattern or just plain blue again, and whether the heavier gauge is worth it or just marketing. Anybody done a repour on a 20x40 recently and have a feel for how long the thicker stuff actually buys you versus standard. Not trying to do this twice in one decade, third week of April is when I will know if it holds through another opening, but I would rather line up a guy now than scramble in March.

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#2
We went with plaster instead of vinyl when ours needed redoing so I can't speak to the gauge question, Tom, but twelve years on a liner sounds like you already got your money's worth honestly.

Only thing I'd say is don't let the guy talk you into scheduling it too close to that April deadline, ours took longer than promised for reasons that had nothing to do with the crew.
#3
Mine's a plaster pool so no liner to worry about, but my brother in law had his redone maybe eight years back on a pool close to your size, and he went with the heavier gauge after his first one puckered up at the steps around year nine same as yours is doing now.. he swears the thicker stuff bought him extra years, could be true or could be he just babies his water more since.

Marlene's right about the scheduling though, his guy pushed the date twice on him and he ended up opening late that year with a pool half full sitting under a tarp. I'd get on somebody's calendar now like you're already planning, don't wait for it to fail on you in April.
#4
Did mine at the 2015 mark with a buddy and a case of beer, mine was smaller than your 20x40 though so take the scheduling part with a grain of salt. We went standard gauge because the guy at the shop flat out told me the heavier stuff mostly helps if you've got a rough gunite pool underneath snagging it, on vinyl over vinyl smooth wall it's not doing as much work as they make it sound like in the brochure. Seven years in now and no puckering yet so for what it's worth I don't regret saving the money. What Earl's brother in law is describing with the steps though, that's usually as much about the wall foam underneath going soft as it is the liner thickness itself, I found a mushy spot behind mine during the swap and it had nothing to do with gauge. Might be worth having whoever quotes you actually pull back the old liner at the stairs before you commit to anything, if the foam's shot behind there a thicker liner isn't going to fix that problem for you.
#5
Jason's onto something big with the wall foam, that's the part everybody forgets to check. My liner's only six years in and already started reading up on this stuff for when mine goes, and the one thing that kept popping up that Jason didn't mention is the base underneath doing the same trick, sand versus that gorilla pad stuff. If your guy's already pulling the liner back at the steps to check foam like Jason said, have him look at the floor too while it's exposed, buddy, cheap thing to fix while it's already opened up and a nightmare to deal with once that new liner's stretched tight over it.