Tips and tricks for measuring and installing custom vinyl liners

by Sally Bouorm | April 1, 2012 10:39 am

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By J. Kevin Shea

The increasing number of awards handed out for innovative and unique vinyl-lined pool designs has made it apparent that builders can do almost anything when constructing these pools. Builders and renovators are no longer limited to plastic drop in steps or standardized square step sections. Today, homeowners are looking to include various specialty features on their pools—from sun decks/ledges to customized steps that stretch the entire width of the pool. Water features such as grottos with sitting areas and fountains are also becoming standard fare in current vinyl-liner pool designs.

Getting the vinyl liner to fit perfectly over these speciality features may be intimidating for those new to the process; however, the following measuring and installation tips and tricks can help builders overcome the fear of adding these specialty features to their next vinyl liner pool creation.

Let’s start with measuring

Providing ‘spot on’ measurements to the liner fabricator is imperative to ensuring a perfect fit on vinyl-lined pools that include one or more of these speciality features. Steve Keller at Poolside Pools in St. Paul, Minn., says he never provides measurements to his liner fabricator until after he has completely built or renovated the pool.

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“I always take complete A-B (plotted) measurements of the pool,” explains Keller, who also uses a digital camera when recording the pool’s dimensions. “I take photos from all the angles of the measurements I record around specialty features, so the fabricator has a clear understanding of what I am dealing with.”

Pool liner fabricators also highly recommend builders leave their plotting points marked for reference. Leaving these reference points until the liner installation process is complete can save valuable time for pool builders should a measurement need to be confirmed.[3]

For instance, Keller uses painter’s tape to label each of his plotting points in a semi-permanent manner. If necessary, this allows him to go back and verify a measurement without having to restart the plotting process.

Norm Lee of Dr. Vinyl Company in Bolton, Ont., agrees.

“We use the A-B plotting method when measuring and take numerous photos, especially when we are dealing with specialty features,” says Lee. “And, we always leave the pins in the ground until after the liner has been successfully installed, just in case there are any questions about our measurements.”

Calculating depth, radius and corners

To simplify the procedure of taking both vertical and horizontal measurements simultaneously, Keller uses a device referred to as the A-B measuring tool, which comprises two angled pieces of aluminum bolted together by a hinge. Self-adhesive tape measures are located on top so the installer can read two measurements simultaneously. A plumb bob is also attached to a tape measure so a depth can be measured, out from the wall, at the same time. These measurements are taken from two points, which are already numbered during the A-B point measuring process. This tool is extremely useful when taking dimensions of a stair/bench combination along a sloping wall, or a cuddle cove/seat in the deep end of a pool, for example. Some liner fabricators offer variations of this device to builders to ensure they obtain and provide proper depth measurements.

Another way to ensure measurements are precise is to provide templates of tricky areas. Closed-cell foam, cardboard or plastic materials work well when creating a template of a particularly challenging area.

“We provide more reference points than the liner fabricator requires and I always check my measurements several times,” explains Ken Corallo of Seahorse Pools in Fort Worth, Texas. “However, if I am still concerned, I create a template of the complex section of the pool. These are especially helpful when dealing with complicated curves with multiple steps and corners.”

When necessary, Lee also provides templates to the liner fabricator for especially complicated steps and seat areas—such as those in concrete pool renovations, where the old concrete pool is being covered with a vinyl liner.

“We use filter cloth to create a template and provide all the pieces to the liner fabricator to use in cutting and welding the liner together.”

When designing and building a new vinyl-lined pool, builders should avoid tight radius steps—especially on the top step. If the step radius is too tight, ‘puckers’ will form on the top tread where the liner meets the riser, as liner fabricators use straight bars to weld the vinyl. Therefore, it is important to keep the steps as wide as possible using a large, sweeping radius.

Further, never ‘cheat’ or undersize the measurements in hopes the liner will stretch into place. Liner fabricators are very sophisticated in their design and manufacturing process, so exact measurements are required.

Fabricators will, however, make allowances for the climate, depending on where and when the liner is being installed. For example, the fabricator will need to know if the liner is being installed in 10- to 15.5-C (50- to 60-F) or 32- to 37-C (90- to 100-F) weather, as hot and cold temperatures will affect the liner’s flexibility and its overall fit.

Using this information, in designing and manufacturing the liner, the fabricator will size it accordingly, taking into consideration not only the geographic location of the pool and the time of year it is being installed, but also the specific ink colours, base film colour of the liner and its mil thickness.

With this in mind, when ordering liners late in the season, it is important to notify the fabricator when the liners will be installed, as this will need to be considered when they are being manufactured.

Installation procedures

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There are many ways to ensure the liner is installed properly. First, start by clipping the liner into the most complex part of the pool—whether it is the sun ledge, cuddle cove, bench or steps. If there are challenging areas on opposite sides of the pool, start with these first and work the liner around the perimeter on either side of the special features.

Both Seahorse Pools and Poolside Pools employ this installation method and use sand bags to hold the liner in place, especially around complex steps.

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“I put down foam on the vinyl and then put weighted sand bags on top of the foam for extra protection,” Keller explains. “I find this especially important when I have a cuddle cove in the deep end that will want to slip out of place while I’m working on a step section or sun ledge in the shallow end.”

Dr. Vinyl’s Lee, who has been installing and repairing vinyl liners in Canada for more than 40 years, says builders should also be aware of where the sun will hit the liner.

“In Canada the sun is always shining from the south, which means the north and northeast corner of every pool gets the most sun exposure and is the first place the liner will deteriorate,” he explains. “To help the liner last longer, and avoid issues with specialty features, we always fit the north side of the pool as loose as possible to minimize stretching where the vinyl will be exposed to the most damaging heat and light from the sun.

“In this case, it’s best to locate the pool’s specialty features, such as vinyl-covered steps, in the south end of the swimming pool.”

Keeping things in place

Most vinyl pool builders utilize rod pockets behind the liner, similar to a drape or curtain, for step sections. This liner feature, which must be requested when ordering the liner from the fabricator, allows a rod to be easily inserted through the pocket, and using a clip to hold the steps or specialty feature in place. This feature can also eliminate the pool liner from floating, especially around steps or sun ledges, in areas with high groundwater tables.

Using the new bead track system offered by some liner fabricators is another option. This system is specifically designed to help make complex vinyl-covered steps, benches and other special features look smooth and wrinkle-free.

Keller is one builder who prefers to use this new system when building a new pool.

“You just ‘snap’ into the specialty feature in the same way the perimeter of the liner snaps into the track—it is easy and looks great.”

Temperatures should also be considered when installing the bead into the track. For instance, installers should be mindful not to stretch the bead in hot temperatures by pushing their hands in the same direction of one another. If the bead is stretched, there may be too much perimeter remaining after snapping the bead around the pool.

In cold weather, however, the opposite should be performed in anticipation there will not be enough perimeter. Therefore, as the bead is being snapped in, the installer should grab and pull the liner in opposite directions to literally try and stretch the bead to create a little extra perimeter.

Bead tips

When dealing with bead issues, particularly during cool weather, a hair dryer should never be used to soften the bead and wall section. Boiling water is recommended instead.

Hot water will simply soften the liner without creating any deterioration of the material itself and/or the print integrity, while at the same time allowing the bead to be easily snapped into the track. By using a hair dryer, builders run the risk of burning through the vinyl, if not attended to properly.

One tip for keeping hot water readily available on the job site is to utilize a single-burner camping stove. After boiling the water in a pot or teakettle, it is simply poured directly onto the liner.

Once the liner is positioned in the pool, carefully examine the installation to ensure the wall is aligned with the floor by looking for diagonal wrinkles. If diagonal wrinkles appear in the wall, it indicates that the bead is slightly ahead of the floor portion of the liner directly below. The liner should be adjusted prior to completing the installation.

Setting the vacuums

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Once the liner is properly in place, vacuums should be set up as close as possible to any speciality feature areas in the pool, e.g., step sections, sun ledges, cuddle coves, etc. If the pool includes several of these features, it is a good idea to utilize more than one vacuum to remove any wrinkles and help set the liner in place. Most installers will agree it is best to remove all wrinkles before filling the pool with water.

“We use at least four vacuums on every job,” says Corallo. “Our customers are familiar with gunite pools and I need to guarantee their vinyl-lined pool will look just like a gunite pool when I’m done.

“Spending a little more money on good vacuums will make a world of difference. Having five or six vacuums on the liner while we are kicking into place is the norm, with the extra vacuums on the specialty features.”

Corallo says they regularly build ledges that are typically 1.5 m (5 ft) deep and anywhere from 3 to 4.2 m (10 to 14ft) wide, and since they are so close to the surface of the water, it is important they are wrinkle free and set properly to prevent them from floating.

It is also important to make sure the electrical supply to the vacuums is sufficient to prevent interruptions in electricity while the pool is being filled with water. This is especially important if the pool is slowly being filled using a garden hose. It should be noted, however, most liner vacuums used today draw very few amps.

Wrinkle-free finish

Next, whenever possible, vacuums should be positioned so they are located centrally, whether they are fed through the mouth of the skimmer, down behind the liner, and/or directly down the wall, behind the bead section.

Duct tape can be used to form a seal when sliding the vacuum’s hose directly between the pool wall and the liner. When doing this, make sure the hose is approximately 152 to 203 mm (6 to 8 in.) up the wall from the base of the vertical wall portion of the pool. Once the liner is vacuumed into position, it should be wrinkle-free.

If wrinkles are still present, the builder should enter the pool (if possible), first removing work boots or sneakers, or placing cardboard or some other means to protect the liner print from being scuffed, and adjust the liner where necessary.

Fill ‘er up

Do not rely on the water pressure to remove any remaining wrinkles when filling the pool with water. Sometimes wrinkles will smoothen out; however, more often than not, the pressure will trap the vinyl in place and make it difficult to move into position to remove the wrinkle.

To help weigh down the shallow end during the filling process, especially on pools with intricate, vinyl-covered specialty features, double-chambered water tubes should be placed along the shallow break (provided the pool has a hard bottom floor) to keep it from sliding towards the deep end.

Another option is to run a garden hose in the shallow end first and fill it up to the top of the double-chambered water-tubes sitting at the break, forming a small dam. This will help seat the liner properly when putting faceplates on, cutting thermo-formed staircases, etc.

Lastly, if wrinkles are still present in the floor, as the water enters the shallow end, a plunger can be used to help remove them. Keep in mind; however, this method is only effective with no more than 305 to 457 mm (12 to 18 in.) of water in shallow end.

Vinyl-pool builders have no fear

Not only are specialty features on vinyl-lined pools becoming the norm, builders in Canada and the U.S., are finding them less intimidating and definitely more profitable. As a result, builders, installers and renovators are looking for ways to add these features on every project. By taking the extra time up front to measure the pool accurately and a little more time to install each liner, builders no longer need to think twice about incorporating speciality features in their vinyl liner pool designs.

 

 

J. Kevin Shea is senior vice-president and chief marketing officer for Plastimayd LLC, a manufacturer of Plastimayd^® and VynAll^® custom swimming pool liners. He is also the founder of VynAll, where he has been president for the past 25 years. Shea, who entered the vinyl-liner swimming pool business through the service and retail side of the industry, presents installation and custom pool measuring seminars throughout the country. He welcomes inquiries from pool professionals and is an excellent source of installation tips. He can be reached via e-mail at jkshea@vynall.com[7].

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/tips-and-tricks-for-measuring-and-installing-custom-vinyl-liners/

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