Liner Changes, Skimmers and Safety Covers: The Repairs That Keep an Older Pool Going

A pool that is ten or fifteen years old is not finished. In most cases it is an older pool with a few worn parts, and the parts can be replaced. The trick is knowing which problems are small and which ones are about to get bigger. Here is a plain guide to the repairs we do most at Quality Pool & Spa, and how to tell when it is time to call.

Liner changes

A vinyl pool liner is the skin of the pool, and it does not last forever. Sun, chemicals, cold winters and years of stretching take a toll. Signs that a liner is nearing the end include fading, a brittle feel, wrinkles that will not go away, thin spots, and cracks or tears. A liner that has started leaking is the most urgent sign. Water that escapes behind the liner can wash out the base underneath, and that turns a liner replacement into a bigger repair.

A liner change means draining the pool, removing the old liner, checking the walls and base, fitting a new liner, and filling the pool again. It is a job that rewards doing carefully, because wrinkles and gaps that are set in at installation are hard to fix later. A new liner can also change how the whole pool looks, and it is a good time to look at the condition of everything else in the pool while it is empty.

Skimmers, which do more than catch leaves

The skimmer pulls surface water and floating debris into the filter system. It is also one of the places where a pool most often develops trouble. Skimmers can crack from freezing water, warp from age and sun, or lose their seal where they meet the wall. A cracked skimmer can leak water into the ground around the pool, and a leak at the skimmer will usually show as a water level that drops to the skimmer opening and then stops.

We repair and replace skimmers. If yours is cracked, loose or leaking, it is better to deal with it than to keep topping off the water and hoping. Adding water over and over also dilutes your chemistry, so you chase your tail with the test kit.

Plumbing lines and drains

The plumbing is hidden, which is why people ignore it until something goes wrong. Lines can crack, joints can fail, and fittings can loosen. Signs include a pool that loses water with no obvious source, wet ground around the equipment or along the pool wall, air bubbles coming out of the returns, or a pump that loses prime. These are signs to have the lines looked at.

We do plumbing line replacement for pools, and we do drain replacement too. Drains are a safety item as well as a plumbing item. Our work is in full compliance with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act and with ANSI/APSP-16 2011 standards for anti-entrapment. If your drain cover is old, cracked or does not look like what is sold today, ask us about it. It is one of the repairs worth doing on a schedule instead of waiting for it to fail.

Pool equipment

Pumps, filters and heaters work harder than most people realize, and they wear out. A pump that is loud, a filter that will not hold pressure, or a heater that cycles on and off all deserve attention. We handle equipment maintenance and replacement. A common mistake is replacing equipment piece by piece without looking at the whole system, so the new pump ends up fighting an old plumbing problem. We look at the system as a whole.

Safety cover installation

A safety cover is a heavy-duty cover that is anchored to the deck around the pool. It does two jobs. It keeps debris, leaves and snow out of the water over winter, which makes opening the pool in spring much easier, and it provides a barrier over the water when the pool is closed. We install safety covers. A cover that fits well and is anchored properly works well. A cover that is too small, anchored poorly or left with worn straps does not.

If your cover is old, look for frayed straps, torn edges, rusted hardware and stretched fabric before the season ends, not on the day you close the pool.

What we do not repair

We want to be straightforward about the limits. We do not offer resurfacing services for gunite and concrete pools. If you have one of those and your problem is the surface itself, we are not the right shop for that work, and it is better to hear it from us now than after you make the trip. We can still help with many other pieces on those pools, such as chemicals and testing, so call and describe your situation.

Decide with the whole pool in mind

The question to ask is not whether a single repair is worth it, but what the whole pool needs over the next several years. Sometimes a liner, a skimmer and a stretch of plumbing together are still a better deal than a new pool. Sometimes the numbers say otherwise. We would rather talk it through honestly than sell you a repair you do not need, or a new pool you cannot yet justify.

You can see the full list of what we fix at /maintenance-pool-repairs-care. Stop by 1001 12th Ave South in Onalaska, next to Sam's Club and Harley Davidson, or call (608) 783-4477 and tell us what your pool is doing. We will tell you what we think.