Coping Strips For Above Ground Pool Liners
After so many years of service, your swimming pool liner and coping strips in your above ground pool will need to be replaced. No one wants to do it but we often cannot avoid it. But doing this is usually better for your pool than leaving the old liner in too long. Pool liners can develop leaks that go undetected and harsh chlorinated water will leak against the pool sides, encouraging corrosion. This is the time to give your pool a tune up and ready it for another long round of service.
Getting Started
After removing your pool liner it is time to deal with any rust issues and access the need for replacement parts. We covered this in another blog in much greater detail so if you care to read more about pool rust repair just click here. Once you have determined your pool is in good shape it is time to get the right parts and put it back together.
Along with a new pool liner it is always a good idea to replace the plastic coping strips that hold the pool liner in place. Coping strips like many other plastic pieces get dry rotted from years of exposure to the sun, UV light and harsh chemicals. Plastics just give up over time and often this isn't an issue until the pool is disassembled for a liner change. Coping strips, skimmers and other plastic parts often crumble or crack when you remove them from the pool and should not be reused if showing signs of failure.
Don't Skimp Here
Coping strips are cheap to purchase and a very worthy investment. Attempting to use bad old ones can delay your pool liner change until new ones can be acquired. Many times the liner will not stay in place, resulting in an uneven tile line or the pool liner falling off the pool wall completely. Much like the skimmer box, these liner accessories are much easier to replace before water is in the pool. I can tell you from personal experience that attempting to reuse coping and skimmers that are dry and cracking can be a big mistake. Weak, dry or cracked skimmers and face plates will cause leaks and leaks cause corrosion. This is probably the worst that can happen but attempting to replace them after the pool is full of water can a challenging and frustrating task. When ordering replacement coping or bead receiver, remember to order by pool size and not piece count as sometimes individual pieces can be of a different length than your original part. One other difference is the shape of the coping strip. Most coping is flat ribbon shaped, although there is another design that is long and tubular. Just makes sure you to acquire the proper type for your project. If you cannot find it give our tech department a call for assistance. Our crews have assembled thousands of swimming pools and performed countless liner changes, they will know how to help you. With a little work and a few replacement parts you should be able to get your pool back up and running in no time, ready for the big summer swim season.