Swimming Pool Liner Replacement

Many people make the mistake of trying to get one too many seasons out of their vinyl pool liner. In an attempt to put off the expense of a pool renovation you can end up paying more in the long run. If the liner is constantly losing water, which is the primary cause for liner replacement, you are wasting money every day. As the pool leaks it takes with it the money spent on heating and chemicals for the water. Over even a season or two this additional cost would pay for the majority of the new liner.

A new vinyl pool liner will save you even more money when you consider that a dark print vinyl liner will absorb heat from the sun far more readily than an old sun faded or light colored liner. These two points alone should be enough for you to consider replacing your vinyl liner sooner than later – and we have not even factored in time spent maintaining a leaking pool or the cost of additional damage that can happen as a result of old and unreliable pool liners.

As a pool liner ages it looses its elasticity and shrinks overall. This can put a considerable strain on your coping track, the retainer for the liner, which may not yet need to be replaced. By exposing the coping to unnecessary strain you may dramatically shorten its expected lifespan. If you end up needed to replace the coping for your pool as a result of damage from the liner you may cost yourself anywhere from $1500 for easy deck mounted coping or $25,000 or more for wall mount coping that has been encased by a poured concrete deck.

The type of liner that you buy depends entirely on what type of pool you have. Above ground pools almost uniformly used 20mm thickness vinyl liners where inground pools typically have a 27mm liner. The 27mm liner is considered the same as a 30mm liner with the difference being only in the terminology. Both liners are 27mm but was conversationally rounded up to 30mm. 40mm liners are available as an upgrade for in-ground pools but are not a wise investment for the same reasons that 27mm liners are not suitable for above ground pools. The coping track on above ground pools is designed to accommodate the weight from a 20mm liner. Similarly inground vinyl pool coping is designed to withstand the weight of a 27mm liner. The advantage of a thicker liner is negated by the additional wear it will place on the coping. A 27mm liner, when maintained properly, can last over 20 years and it the best overall cost effective choice for inground vinyl liner pools.

The type of vinyl liner you buy will depend largely on your budget. There are new direct wholesale online sources for buying vinyl liners however the quality of these liners is highly suspect and the lack of a storefront operation can make small problems with the liner into huge problems with the liner.

When installing a new vinyl liner in your swimming pool there is risk. The risk is that the pool is not designed to sit empty and can experience a structural failure if exposed to rain, snow, ice, ground water or shifting soil conditions. When you replace a vinyl liner in a swimming pool you need to ensure that the liner is measured correctly and that the pool is only empty for a day or two. This will mitigate the risk to the structure of the pool. Ordering a liner online can take weeks to send back to be remade if there is a manufacturing or shipping error. In this time period you could watch your swimming pool collapse in on itself.

Hiring a professional liner installer will also help to reduce the risk to yourself and your swimming pool. Liner installers have access to the highest quality of vinyl liners and are the most prepared to handle any situation that comes up suddenly. A professional liner installer can have a liner altered or remade in as little as 2-3 days since they have a supplier that they can go to directly for assistance.

The cost of a vinyl liner will depend greatly on whether it is high quality or low quality as well as the size and shape of your pool. A wholesale low quality liner can be $1000-$2200 where a higher quality liner would be $2300-$4000. The installation for a liner will cost anywhere from $100 to $2000 with the average liner installation charge being $1000 or so. The liner installation industry has a reputation for moonlighting and under qualified installers so this is definitely an industry to beware of lowball prices.

For a complete installation of a full print and border 27mm inground vinyl liner you can expect to pay:
16 x 32 feet liner replacement costs approx $4,000.00 to $5,000.00
18 x 36 feet liner replacement costs approx $4,500.00 – $5,700.00
20 x 40 feet liner replacement costs approx $5,000.00 – 7,000.00
Installation price is approx $1,000.00 to $3,000.00

Be sure to check the condition of the plumbing systems, coping, skimmer, deck, walls and floor of the pool before installing a new vinyl liner. These items need to be able to last as long as the new liner will last which can be 10 years or more for an above ground pool and 20 or more years for an ingound vinyl liner pool.