A liner that has popped out of the bead track, or slipped down off the top of the wall, needs attention soon. Left alone, pool water can get behind the liner, rust the wall and wash out the base. Here’s what to do right away, how to tell whether it can go back in, and when it means a new liner.

Step 1
What to do right now

1. Don’t drain the pool. An empty liner shrinks, and a liner that has already pulled away usually won’t fit again once it shrinks more. See How Long Can You Leave a Pool Empty?
2. Keep the water just below the gap. If the water is above the spot where the liner pulled out, it can flow behind the liner and down the wall. Lower it only an inch or two below the gap, no more.
3. Don’t pull or stretch it. Yanking on cold or old vinyl is how small problems become tears.
4. Take photos of the spot, the top of the wall and the track, so you can send them to us.

Step 2
Why liners pull away

Not sure which type of liner you have? See 6 Pool Liner Attachments for Above Ground Pools.

Step 3
Putting a beaded liner back

If only a short section has popped out and the liner still reaches the track easily, you can often put it back yourself:

1. Wait for a warm, sunny day. Warm vinyl is softer and stretches more easily.
2. Work from one end of the gap. Press the bead back into the track a few inches at a time with your thumbs.
3. Don’t force it. If the bead won’t reach the track without hard pulling, stop. The liner has shrunk too far.
4. Lock it in. A bead lock strip pressed into the track over the bead helps keep it from popping out again.
5. Bring the water back up to the middle of the skimmer opening, and keep it there.

Step 4
Fixing a slipped overlap liner

An overlap liner hangs over the top of the wall and is held in place by plastic coping strips under the top rails.

• If a coping strip has popped off or cracked, pull the liner back up over the wall and snap the strip back on, or replace it with new coping strips.
• If the liner no longer reaches over the wall, it has shrunk too much to hold.
• If you have to remove top rails to get to the strips, work on one section at a time so the frame stays supported.

Step 5
When it means a new liner

A liner that pulls away once from low water can often be put back. It’s usually time for a new liner when:

• It pops out in several spots, or keeps popping out after you fix it.
• The bead or edge won’t reach the track or the top of the wall without hard pulling.
• The liner is also faded, brittle, wrinkled or leaking.
• It’s more than 8 to 15 years old, the typical life of a liner.

A worn bead track can also be replaced during a liner change. See 7 Signs Your Above Ground Pool Liner Needs Replacing, Why Is My Pool Liner Wrinkled? and 5 Successful Steps to a Perfect Pool Liner Replacement.