Why is My Pool Liner Wrinkled?
It is not uncommon for pool liners to be wrinkled, but it doesn’t look good. The wrinkles can cause problems, too. The following are some of the causes of pool liner wrinkles, related complications, and things that can be done to avoid pool liner wrinkles.
3 Problems Caused by Pool Liner Wrinkles
Liners are meant to be smooth, and wrinkles in pool liners invite a few problems. First, debris and dirt get trapped against the folds. This can work against the free chlorine reserve in the pool. Secondly, holes can result from folds being snagged as the pool is being cleaned. Thirdly, the area of the pool vinyl that is folded becomes weakened.
Liner Wrinkles Caused by Faulty Installation or Pool Repair
Pool liner wrinkles can occur when the liner is installed. If the measurements for the liner were incorrect, if the pool liner was manufactured incorrectly, or if the liner was poorly situated during installation, liner wrinkles can develop very quickly.
Vinyl liners have been known to develop a wrinkle because of a chemical reaction caused by a concrete patch being used on the pool’s floor. The patches can be incompatible with vinyl liners, resulting in wrinkling.
Pool Liner Wrinkles Caused by Underground Erosion
A less common cause of pool wrinkles has to do with underground erosion. If the pool has a soft floor and active underground water, the base of the pool vinyl can slip under the weight of the pool. In these instances, not only do wrinkles in the pool vinyl develop but low depressed areas can form, as well.
Pool Liner Wrinkles Caused by Water Loss
The swimming pool liner is essentially held in place by pool water. If the water gets below 6 inches above the pool’s floor, the liner will relax and pull away from the walls. If even more water is lost, wrinkles will set in because the entire liner will relax.
There are several reasons that your pool may lose so much water that the pool liner becomes wrinkled. It could be accidental, caused by leakage. Pools are sometimes intentionally drained to address poor water conditions. Either way, re-setting the vinyl pool liner may become necessary as a result of the low water level. Unfortunately, liners that are being re-set can break or snap if they have become old and brittle. If you have an aging pool, it’s important to avoid drainage of the pool water in order to prevent pool liner wrinkles.
Liner Wrinkles Caused by Chemicals
Puckering of pool liners is sometimes caused by consistently low pool pH levels or consistently high pool chlorine levels. The problem may be widespread or localized, due to direct contact of the liner with chlorine. When chlorine is the cause of a wrinkled pool liner, bleaching of the vinyl can also occur. There is, unfortunately, no way to reverse a chemically affected pool liner. Both chemical conditions described above can be highly corrosive and can extract the plasticizer from the vinyl, resulting in wrinkling and contracting of the pool liner.
Pool Works experts can provide the help you need to resolve the issue of pool vinyl wrinkles. Visit our location to get the finest pool services in the Lakeland, Florida, area.
