Liner replacement in Columbus

How a liner replacement runs

It starts with a measure. A liner is cut for one pool and one pool only, so the depths, the radiuses, the steps, the swimouts and the light niche all get measured before anything is ordered. Get that wrong and the liner fights the wall for the rest of its life.

On install day the water comes out, the old liner comes off the track, and the shell underneath gets looked at properly. That is the part homeowners never see: rust at the bottom of a steel wall panel, a hollow under the vermiculite floor, a foot of standing groundwater behind the deep end. Anything wrong there is fixed before the new liner goes in, because covering it up just means doing this again sooner.

The new liner is hung, set with a vacuum so it pulls tight into every corner, then the faceplates, gaskets, skimmer, returns and main drain go back on and the fill starts. The vacuum stays on until there is enough water to hold the liner where it belongs.

• Every dimension measured on site before the liner is ordered
• Wall panels, floor and track inspected with the pool empty
• Liner set with a vacuum so it seats into the corners and coves
• New gaskets and faceplates at the skimmer, returns and main drain
• Fill supervised so the liner does not shift while the water comes up

When a liner is done

The obvious one is a tear, but most liners get replaced before they tear. The vinyl goes brittle and chalky, the pattern fades out along the waterline, the bead starts pulling out of the track in the corners, and wrinkles show up on the floor that no amount of brushing takes out. A liner that has gone hard will split the first time somebody catches it with a pole.

Central Ohio adds two more. Freeze and thaw works on the shell every winter, and tree roots off a maple or a silver maple push against a wall panel until the liner has nowhere to sit flat. One of Fox's own reviews is a liner that had to be replaced because of root damage.

What you get to pick

The pattern and the tile band are yours to choose, and they change how the water reads more than people expect. A dark bottom pulls heat and makes a pool look deeper. A light print shows less dirt and more leaves. Mosaic waterline bands hide the scale line that hard Columbus water leaves.

The liner gauge matters too. A heavier gauge costs more and takes more abuse from a dog, a pool brush or a family of teenagers. Fox measures the pool, prices it in person, and shows the samples before anything is ordered.