Beaded liners are made to fit most above-ground pools with sidewalls that are 48" or 52" high and have a flat bottom. Beaded liners are made with a bead at the top of the liner and installs into a track or "snaps in" to a channel, called Bead Receiver. Each type of bead looks similar, but each one has a slightly different design to fit different bead receiver tracks. There are several types of beaded liners and we have a list of available bead styles to include: the standard bead (to include Wilkes, Kayak®, Fanta-Sea™ and Esther Williams), UniBead and J-Hook. Please compare the bead on your old liner with the beaded options listed.
The benefit of a beaded liner is that you generally do not have to disassemble the top rails of your pool to change the liner. This makes them easier to install. A beaded liner works well if you have a deck built around the perimeter or your pool. You can convert your existing overlap liner to a beaded liner by installing bead receiver onto the top wall of your pool and then selecting the right height liner.
Beaded pool liner come in three different heights:
J-Hook (also known as j-bead or u-bead) liners go over the wall as do overlap liners, but the wall height is defined and exact. An upside down J or U- shaped bead holds the liner to the top of the wall.
There is approximately 3/4" of bead coming down the outside of the wall. Make sure your top rails fit snuggly to help hold the J-Bead liner in place.
The UniBead is a very unique swimming pool liner in that it is two types of liner in one. The UniBead liner can be used as a standard beaded liner in a pool that uses a bead receiver or it can also be used a J-Hook Liner in a pool that does not use a bead receiver.
If you are using a J-Hook liner you simply install the J shaped bead onto the top of your pool wall.
If this liner is to be installed as a standard beaded liner, simply remove the J-Hook along the dotted line at the top of the pool liner. Now it's a standard beaded liner, and ready to install onto the bead receiver.
*Images are not to scale
Note: If you're not sure what bead you need, please give us a call and we can help you select the right one that will fit your pool.
We can help make your new liner a breeze to install.
