Thank you Scott ! I had a local pool person come yesterday. We have used him for minor things only and I want to know the right things to ask. He showed us the vinyl liners . They have 20 and 27 and a combo of 20/27. He said there are 5 Premier liners on special and that the 27 isn't extra if I get one of the 5. I like the really dark Dynastie/Blue Granite Super Max 27/27. He quoted $2850 and that would include everything to have the pool all the way back and filled and everything repaired etc that needs it as he is working. Ready to swim in when done. As far as the deck he said they would clean it w/ very high water pressure. He said that prepares the surface to accept the coating. He didn't mention using Muriatic acid and I wonder if he should also use that to prepare the surface....I don't want to jump on him and question every move he makes :) He said they put glops of this( ???concrete )product on and then smooth it with trowels. It will be a color we choose and have texture....most likely a cream color. I know it isn't Cool Deck. He told my husband that they were leaving the expansion joints alone. They are really deteriorated in some places, not all by any means. I just think they are unsightly. I have looked up how to replace them....here I go again my husband says :) Anyway it seems that the wood is removed and then foam core fillers are placed and then it is caulked with elastomeric caulk. Does that sound right ? I just feel that if we are going to this expense then we should have it all look good. If we shut off the pool pump the pool freezes solid thick enough that we can walk on it. We worried about this and thought this might be a contributing factor to the liner breaking down. So my question is if you " winterize the pool" how do you deal with the water freezing ? I guess that is all for now. Thank you again for your answers...it really helps to have some one to ask. Caroline

We need to replace the liner in our approx. 20 x 40' free form Foxx Pool in Westchester County, NY. Have gotten four quotes. Two in the $4,500 range and two in the $7,500 range !! Pool is a sports pool with deep and shallow ends on both sides. Deepest point is 5 1/2 feet from corner to corner for lap swimming. Anyway, want to make a decision this week. Can anyone offer up positive/negative experiences with Pool companies that would service my area for liner replacement. FYI- the four companies which gave me quotes are: (1) Orange County Pools; (2) Different Strokes Pools; (3) Rainbow Pools; and (4) Najame & Son Pools. Thanks as always for your input.

The time to replace a pool liner is when you have had enough of the liner. That sounds a little flippant, so what the heck does that mean? Well there are several reasons to replace a liner any of which are valid and all relate to you the owner. The first most common reason to replace a liner is the pool is leaking and will not stop. You have hired a diver and they cannot find any leaks and leaks and will not stop or there is a major cut in the liner. The next most common reason is the printed pattern on the liner is substantially faded or gone. This happens from UV light exposure and high chlorine levels over the years. Most people just hate looking at a faded liner and want to but vibrancy back in their pools appearance. Another scenario is the pool water chemistry has been poorly maintained and the liner is badly wrinkled. With chemistry there are two critical balances Total Alkalinity and Calcium Hardness. If the Total Alkalinity & pH are kept too low over to long a period of time the liner will wrinkle badly and this problem can only be corrected by replacing the liner. If the Calcium Hardness is maintained too low for to long a period of time the liner can become brittle to the point if you step on it the liner would crack. So it is recommended that you have your pool water professionally tested at least 3 times a pool season if your season is 6 months long and 6 times a year if you have a 12-month season. The least common reason is the people just hate the pool liner pattern and want something different. This can happen if someone buys a house and hates the liner pattern that is currently in the pool when they purchase the house so they replace it. The average life of a liner is about 10 years. The longest I have ever heard of a pool liner lasting was 25 years this was an in ground pool, of course there was no pattern in the liner for the last 15 years but the owners did not care. So as you can see the time to replace the liner is your choice. Keep in mind when replacing a liner the thicker the liner the more resistant to punctures the liner will be. If you are in a cold climate you will need a really thick liner. Standard mil thickness on in ground pool liners is usually 20 mil, 27/28 mil, 30 mil and 40 mil. For above ground pools life expectancy is 5-10 years. Liner thickness generally runs 16 mil, 20 mil, 22 mil and 27 mil. I found great deals on this site - check it out! http://www.gopoolandspa.com/search.php?mode=search&page=1

The liner was pulled out and the PB's lone worker began the task of hitting the rip rap with a pick axe. Mistake number 1, because we are changing the level of the swimming pool and turning it into a 52" water line all the way across, the PB instructed the worker to shovel the rip rap (just dirt and slight sprinkling of cement powder)into the deep end. Then the sand from the shallow end was raked and shoveled down to the deep end on top of the chunks of riprap.