Above Ground Pool Liner Installation Guide

Above Ground Pool Liner Installation Guide

Updated April 2025

Must-Read Instructions for Pool Liner Replacement

To learn how to install an above ground pool liner, read this information carefully before you start. Installing your liner the right way is the secret to a smooth, wrinkle-free finish that lasts for years.

Read the following information and instructions before attempting your pool liner installation.

1. Follow the Enclosed Instructions to Protect Your Warranty

For the best results, install your above ground pool liner according to the enclosed instructions. Pool liner replacement done incorrectly can void your warranty.

Make sure you follow every step. Start by preparing the base and then fitting the pool liner. Use the guidelines provided.

2. Install Your Pool Liner in Warm, Sunny Conditions

Above ground pool liner installation works best in warm temperatures, ideally 80 degrees or warmer. Putting in a swimming pool liner on a hot, sunny day helps it stretch well. This also lowers the chance of wrinkles. Always fill the pool during daylight hours and never at night to avoid complications.

3. Professional Installation Is Recommended

While DIY installation is possible, hiring a professional for pool liner installation is highly recommended. But if you choose to be the general contractor, you’re taking on all the risks.

Make sure your installer follows the instructions closely. This is important whether you are replacing a pool liner or doing it yourself.

4. Inspect Your Pool Liner Before Installation

Before installing the liner, inspect the box, label, and the entire liner carefully. Once you add water to the swimming pool, you accept the liner 'as is.' You cannot return it for any reason.

Above Ground Pool Liner Installation Tips

Plan Ahead

  • Do not schedule the pool liner installation or replacement project immediately before a pool party, as any minor delay will cause a disruption in your plans

  • Plan pool liner installation around dry, hot weather

  • If you hire a professional, it is your responsibility to make sure they install per our instructions provided

Maintenance Matters

  • Maintain your pool water. If a liner holds water for several days, it should last for years with proper care. Misuse, poor maintenance, unbalanced water chemistry, or natural events usually cause water loss after several days.

  • Do not use a water truck – if you must, fill as slow as possible

  • Never completely drain your pool unless changing the liner

  • Do not scrub your liner aggressively with a pool vac or brush

  • Always use a ladder pad under your stairs and ladders

  • Always use liquid chlorine – no powder when applied directly to pool

  • Always have a pool liner patch kit on hand & goggles

Safety First

  • Ensure your swimming pool meets all local, state, and national safety standards.

Step-by-Step Guide to Installing a Swimming Pool Liner

1. Install on a Warm, Sunny Day

Choose a warm day with no rain or clouds. This is very important. When it is warm and sunny, the pool liner fits into place with ease.

2. Prep the Pool Base Before Installing

Pump every drop of water out of the pool. Then remove the old liner. Next, add some pool sand to re-groom the base.

Helpful Tip:
An industrial broom works well to smooth base.

3. Position the Liner in the Pool

 

 

 



Remove all top rails to expose your bare pool walls. Unfold the liner & center in the middle of the pool. Evenly spread out, ignoring the seams. The liner will not go all the way to the pool wall. There will be a space between the edge of the liner and the wall, allowing room for the liner to stretch into place.

4. Secure the Liner at Four Points



*Do Not Skip This Step. This is where 90% of installation mistakes occur.* Once the liner is centered, you will need to temporarily attach 4 points of the liner to the pool wall (North, South, East, West). This will ensure your liner is perfectly even all the way around. If you only start with one point and start attaching the liner by working your way around the pool, the liner will not be straight and may seem short or too small for the pool.

5. Anchor Additional Points & Secure the Liner



Once your liner has your 4 direction points attached to the walls, add 4 more in between those points and attach (Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast). You may now attach the liner with coping, or into the bead receiver, all the way around the pool.

6. Reattach Top Rails & Align the Liner



Add your top rails and metal back on. The liner is now center and aligned. The liner may feel tight, but this is normal. The liner will stretch into place during the vacuum and filling process.

Helpful Tip:
The liner may feel tight, but this is normal.

7. Use a Shop Vac to Set the Liner



After installing the liner to the wall, add your shop vac to the open skimmer hole and push the vac hose down to the sand. Then duct tape the open space at the skimmer and return jet for an air tight seal. Plug the vac into a safe (GFCI) outlet. When you turn the vac on, if there are any wrinkles, or desired adjustments with the liner, manipulate them by hand before filling.

8. Start Filling & Monitor Closely



As the vac runs, and the liner is adjusted to your likeness, you can start filling the pool with water. You think your work is done, but it is not done yet. Fill during hot and sunny hours only. Fill only when someone is home to check on the filling process every 20 minutes until the pool is half way full. If something loosens, pulls inwards, or slips at the top, turn everything off, adjust, tighten clamp down, and resume filling.

Important:
Check filling process every 20 minutes until the pool is half way full.

9. Remove Shop Vac & Cut in Plumbing



The shop vac continues to run until the pool is half way full. As it fills, pull the vac hose up a little bit at a time so that it stays above the water level in the pool. When the water reaches the half way point, eliminate the vac by pulling the hose out of the pool wall. Then cut the holes for your plumbing pieces including the skimmer box and return jet.