Some of the common problems encountered when your pool needs a new liner usually involve some kind of repairs to the walls and floor. The track and the fixtures can also require some attention, but that's not the case quite as often. For a brief discussion of these key four areas, you can go to our "Critical Aspects of a Liner Change" page.

Since the northwest has mostly pools made with galvanized steel walls, a problem with the rusting is often encountered. This is especially essential to address since the presence of rust does cause the liner to age prematurely by drawing the plasticizers out of a liner, so it's important to do something about it. This presence of rust can range from almost nonexistent to being of the most serious nature. We have had experience addressing this problem in the extreme by sandblasting, but found that more metal was removed than necessary, resulting in extra holes in the panel. We've also seen some contractors simply cover over the problem utilizing a common "add on" called wall foam. Unfortunately, this ignores a real problem and can even aggravate it by trapping moisture against the wall behind the form. After vigorously scraping the walls, we've concluded the ideal solution is simply to treat the pool walls with phosphoric acid, the active ingredient in naval jelly, which chemically neutralizes the rust; we often make multiple chemical applications. And since we can only address the rust that is accessible on the inside of the pool, and not the exterior portion of the wall that's buried in the dirt, we conclude the work by simply giving a final rust inhibiting coating to the pool wall. Sometimes the corrosion has worked all the way through the wall and a hole has developed. If the hole is not too big, we can generally make a simple repair with Bondo. In cases where the rusting has become too serious, we have re-skinned the walls with sheets of galvanized steel. This is one area where expertise is not essential, but rather a diligent effort is important. For this type of work we are happy to provide simple directions to you so that you can do the work yourself.

Another common problem encountered when a liner is changed is that we find some degree of deterioration to the floor material. Because this is so common, we always include an hour's worth of floor patching, both labor and materials, which covers most pool's needs. Unfortunately, some pools have been left empty for extended periods of time, or been allowed to stand in freezing conditions without water protecting the floor. In these cases a more extensive repair is necessary, and in some cases we can isolate the repair to the immediate area of damage.

All pools, after a period of time, will be in need of some cleaning, and so we thoroughly clean the track, floor, walls, and all sealing surfaces of the various fixtures. Additionally, we like to inspect all the fixtures and make sure there is no damage or potential for future leaks. We also will often replace the rubber bumpers on the bottom of ladders since that too is a common cause of punctures in liners when either they fall off in use or wear down over time.

When replacing the liner, it's also a convenient time to do any of those little repairs in the equipment area that have been an irritation, but not so much as to warrant a call to a repair technician. We are always happy to help with those kinds of side issues, and are even able to help with equipment upgrades if needed.