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4.5
It was very easy to install the bead receiver onto my 18’ round above-ground pool. It simply slides over the top edge, thus making it the easiest part of the liner-install project. Fitting the actual beaded liner INTO the receiver is an entirely different matter. The liner didn’t initially “snap” into place, and after struggling for 20 minutes to do about 8 feet of liner, I stopped for the night. I used about 15 spring clips to temporarily attach the liner to the pool wall and stretch the liner into position. The next day, I was glad that I had let it rest because on the second day, the liner was more receptive to being snapped into the receiver. It still took me about 60-90 minutes to do all 56’ feet (the circumference of an 18’ round pool), plus another half hour to double-check (ie. Go around and press the liner in a second time, to make sure it was all the way in.). I also used bead lock, which is a separate product which you wedge between the receiver and the liner, to “lock” the liner into the receiver. I recommend this extra step, which added another hour. I filled the first couple of inches of water with my garden house, and then I had 5000 gallons of water delivered (which was enough to fill 60% of my pool). Since they add this 5000 gallons in about 15 minutes, it is a bit of a shock to the new liner. This caused about half of the “bead lock” to pop out, which meant I needed to reinstall half of it. If I hadn’t used the bead lock, I think it might have been the actual liner which would have popped out, and that would be a huge problem. Reinstalling the bead lock only took a half hour.
