How to Remove Wrinkles from a Pool Liner

Vinyl liners offer a wide selection of styles and color options. Generally they are very easy to maintain plus feel really great on the bottom of your feet! However; sometimes liners can become wrinkled. This is just part of ownership. Experiencing liner wrinkles is just part of owning a pool with a liner, so you need to know how to deal with them when they happen.

If you notice wrinkles in your pool liner, act quickly. Don’t allow them to sit for too long. The longer they sit, the harder it will be get rid of them.

If wrinkles develop, the following suggestions may help you to remove or reduce wrinkles yourself.

1. Low pool water – Sometimes wrinkles can develop after the pool has sat for an extended period of time. If your pool water level is low or you need to replace water after it has sat for a while, fill your pool with fresh water and start slowly working the wrinkles out as you fill the pool with water.

2. Low pH & Water balance – Low pH will cause a liner to develop wrinkles. When the pH drops below 7 the water becomes acidic and vinyl starts to absorb water and expand, causing wrinkles. Not enough sanitizer or too much sanitizer damages the liner. High chlorine levels will dry out the liner and suck out the material that makes vinyl soft and pliable.

Improper water balance will affect the health of your liner. Using a fast dissolving shock or pre-dissolving your shock is extremely important to prevent weakness and bleaching.

3. Unused toilet Plunger to rescue – An unused toilet plunger is a great tool for pulling out wrinkles in your pool. Put the plunger on either side of the wrinkle and plunge. This should pull the liner each way removing wrinkle.

4. Let your pool Heat up – Liners often develop wrinkles in cold water. These colder temperatures cause the liner to harden forcing it to wrinkle. Before Trying anything, consider heating the water up to 90 degrees or warmer so that the liner softens. Then try working out the wrinkles with your feet or plunger.

5. Drain the pool – Sometimes the wrinkles might be severe enough that you have no choice but to completely drain the pool. Once the water is drained, you can use a shop vacuum to suck out wrinkles one at a time. The liner should remain wet. Place the vacuum between the frame and the liner and not directly on the liner to prevent damage to the liner. Our service department uses a special designed liner vacuum for this purpose.

6. Check Pool area drainage and Landscape – Check to see if water drains to the pool or if any trees, bushes or shrubs are directing water where it shouldn’t be and possible extending it to your pool area. Also, any shifting of the ground may cause you to need to shore up the ground so it doesn’t continue to shift which can cause wrinkles. Once you shore up the ground, the wrinkles should not return.

7. Water Leaks in liner – Small water leaks are one of the major causes of wrinkles. If this happens, locate the leak quickly and repair. The best repair is done from both sides. We have a special “How to” bulletin on how to repair a vinyl liner.

8. Use shop vacuum to push air under the liner – If none of the above works, you can drain your pool and use a shop vacuum in reverse, placing the hose between the liner and pool wall, then start vacuum. This pushes air between the liner and pool wall, pushing wrinkles out of the liner. Once they are removed, reverse suction on vacuum to remove the excess air that you placed under your pool liner.

9. Call our service department – If you have tried the above or don’t want to try the above, give any one of our stores a call to set up a work order. Draining a pool on a regular basis can create additional stress on your pool wall due to earths moving forces, not to mention the cost of water bills and rebalancing your pool water.

10.Last Resort – Replace your liner – As a last resort you may simply have to replace the pool liner as sometimes the wrinkles are there to stay and no matter what method you apply to the pool or if any trees, bushes or shrubs are directing water where it shouldn’t be, it will not remove them. Call any of our stores to request a new in-ground liner quote. If you need a replacement liner, be sure to buy AMERICAN MADE.

A word to the wise on why you should purchase American made – Offshore vinyl is a low cost alternate to domestically produced materials looks and handles very much the same. However, it is not! Analysis shows it contains high levels of filler ingredients, calcium carbonate, which adds no value to the vinyl but does make it cheaper to produce. Essentially, this means, off shore manufacturers are using chalk in place of plasticizers and resins in their vinyl. Calcium carbonate absorbs water easily and can cause the vinyl to expand by as much as 25% (domestic liners only expand 3%) when tested while placed in a low pH environment. Plus the wrinkles are far more severe in offshore vinyl, as most contain 18%-20% calcium carbonate. Generally, offshore liners are ordered through the internet.

Download a printable PDF: BUL-158-HOW TO REMOVE WRINKLES FROM A POOL LINER
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NOTE: Always follow label directions and manufacturer’s instructions for each product used. Conditions may vary from pool to pool. Ultra Modern Pool & Patio does not assume any responsibility or liability for the results that may be obtained through utilization of this or any other program, procedure or product.

Copyright ©2016 ULTRA MODERN POOL & PATIO, INC.
Bulletin #158