2020
How Often Do You Need to Replace Your Vinyl Pool Liner?
When to replace a vinyl pool liner is not an exact science. However, as a general rule, these liners will need to be replaced about every six to ten years. How your vinyl pool liner ages depends on several factors including weather, physical damage, sunlight, and time.
What is a vinyl pool liner?
"Vinyl" is short for polyvinyl chloride or PVC. A vinyl pool liner is the plastic liner in a vinyl pool, and it needs to be replaced on a regular basis because vinyl breaks down or degrades over time.
Here are some of the things that degrade vinyl.
UV Radiation
Yes, sunshine or rather the UV radiation in sunshine damages vinyl over time by making it brittle. So, the sunnier your geographical location and the higher the altitude, the faster your liner will break down. You can mitigate this factor by keeping your pool covered when you're not using it.
Physical Damage
Animals in your pool can abrade, tear, or puncture the liner. It's not a good idea to allow animals in a vinyl pool for this reason. Of course, if it's an uninvited bear, that's not your fault.
Corrosion
It's important to keep your pool chemistry stable and appropriate. Swings in pool chemistry can damage the liner over time.
Extremes in Temperature
The bigger the temperature swings are every year, the more wear and tear there is on your vinyl liner. Extreme cold and extreme heat damage vinyl over time. This is the same reason why airport runways and roads crack and become damaged. It's the extremes in outdoor temperature, not just the weight they bear.
Vinyl breaks down over time because of multiple variables working together. Expect to have to change your vinyl liner on a regular basis for top pool performance. It's perfectly normal to need your pool liner replaced. If you need your pool liner replaced, please feel free to contact us.
Taylor Made Pools operates throughout the Lower Mainland of British Columbia building and repairing custom vinyl pools. If you have any questions about this article or would like to talk to us about vinyl pools, please call us at (604) 614-9611.
References
(1977) Poly(Vinyl Chloride) Degradation — A Review, Polymer-Plastics Technology and Engineering, 8:2, 177-198, DOI: 10.1080/03602557708545035
