How to Make Your Vinyl Pool Liner Last Longer

Vinyl liners can totally improve the appearance of a swimming pool, and they can even act to slow or prevent algae growth on pool walls and floors. Pools sporting liners look deeper, clearer, and more attractive than unlined pools.

But tons of people with newly lined pools make the mistake of skipping out on basic, routine maintenance—an oversight that leads to vastly shorter lifespans for those sleek vinyl liners.

Rather than deal with the pain of replacing your liner years ahead of schedule, take a look at these 5 tips for making your pool liner last as long as possible.

Maintain Balanced Chemical Levels

When we talk about chemicals in your pool, one of the most important is chlorine (no surprise). Low chlorine allows algae to take hold and grow. Elevated chlorine levels bleach swimsuits and hair, irritate your eyes and can dry out your skin after swimming.

Plus, when your pool has too much chlorine, that’s bad news for your liner. By testing your pool’s chemical levels regularly, you’ll both keep your pool more enjoyable for swimmers and protect your liner.

Clean Your Pool Regularly

Between body oil and other unwanted runoff, your pool will develop stains and buildups that require cleaning.

But when you do clean your pool liner, be extra sure the cleaning products you use are approved specifically for vinyl liners. Not only that, but you also need to avoid rough, abrasive tools like scouring pads—nothing will shorten the life of your pool liner faster than a rubdown with a scouring pad.

Keep Your Pool Filled

Water has an unfortunate habit of leaving swimming pools, whether we like it or not. Between natural evaporation and splash-out from swimmers, pools can lose water surprisingly fast. Especially if you have sprung a leak. That’s why we recommend using a pool cover when your pool isn’t in use—rapid changes in water level can cause vinyl liners to warp or break.

Avoid Completely Draining Your Pool

Cleaning or tear repairs will mean partially draining your pool to allow access to those trouble spots. But you should NEVER completely drain the pool. At a minimum, leave at least one foot of water remaining.

Complete drainage means your liner is no longer under even pressure, which can lead to odd and costly shape changes and deformities.

Fix Tears ASAP

A tear in your pool liner isn’t the end of the world, but ignoring the problem can prove extremely costly.

Rather than waiting, take the initiative and patch the liner yourself using patching glue (from your pool supplier). This special substance lets you patch the leak right up without draining the pool—a huge time and money saver.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth 10,000 Gallons of Cure

Pool maintenance can be a headache at times. Leaks and tears can crop up on days when you just want to sit and relax, ruining what might have been an otherwise perfect day.

But properly maintaining your vinyl liner means potentially adding years of life to your investment—years you can spend relaxing in the water instead of paying for costly replacements.

California Poolside knows all the top secrets to making pools that last. Check out some of our past projects and see for yourself.