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Effective 6/30/23:

Monday - Friday: 9am – 6pm

Saturday: 9am – 5pm

Sunday: Closed

Service & Construction: Mon-Fri: 8am-5pm | Call 316-722-4311

Floating In-ground Swimming Pool Liners

What are reasons why pool liners get water behind the liner and the liner looks like it is floating or lifting?

Primary reasons: your home has been subject to heavy rainfall or over-filling the pool, seepage of ground water or flooding. During heavy rainfall the water table rises causing no place for water to go. Water will follow the path of least resistance which could lift the liner. Generally water does not go behind the actual pool wall, although it can.

The reason the pool liner moves is because the water pressure equalizes on both sides of the liner and the liner can move. In addition to your liner floating it may lift out of the track. Ground water can pop whole concrete or fiberglass pools out of the ground.

Liner Loose at top: Your pool liner has a bead and the wall has a liner bead receiver. Now just imagine what your liner bead looks like, an upside down J – and when water pushes the liner up it will cause the liner to come loose from the bead receiver in the wall. Sometimes a product called Liner Lock needs to be installed as the bead receiver can become worn and hard to hold the liner in place.

Don’t panic, and don’t blame your pool builder or liner installer – they haven’t done anything wrong. The cause is simply Mother Nature! The best news is that, liners in good shape can generally be reset. If your liner is old and brittle there is a good chance that the water may cause enough stress to tear the liner. These tears will most likely not be able to be fixed and you will need a new liner. A floating liner is not covered by the liner warranty or installer.

What should I do?

Do not drain the pool. Draining the pool can cause structural problems for the pool and deck.

Keep the water at the normal operating level. If you need to drain some, do so with a pump or through backwashing.

If you have a vacuum pipe, make sure it is free and clear of debris. If not, you can place a shop vacuum or liner vacuum hose between the liner and the wall to drain the water behind the liner. Place the vacuum hose between the liner and wall closest to the area that is floating.

Using a pool broom, gently push the liner back to its original position as the water drains from behind the liner. The total process may take a few weeks.

Use a new plunger to plunge wrinkles out. The earth is constantly shifting which can also cause wrinkles or a shifting of the actual size of your pool making it hard to have a 100% wrinkle free install (See bulletin #158, How to Remove Wrinkles from a Pool Liner).

Request Ultra Modern’s service department to check that the liner has gone back to the same position to prevent further issues. Our liner professional can partially drain and re-position your liner and remove most all wrinkles if required.

Tips:
During heavy rainfall make sure to drain the pool to normal water level.
Drain water away from your pool and home.
Keep your water level in your pool as high as possible.
Do not leave water under the liner for long periods of time as it will damage your vermiculite floor and walls.

Download a printable PDF: BUL-160 – FLOATING INGROUND SWIMMING POOL LINERS

Copyright ©2016 ULTRA MODERN POOL & PATIO, INC.
Bulletin #160