Faded pattern
A waterline that has bleached to white or grey means the vinyl has lost plasticizer. Brittleness follows.
Signs You Need a New Pool Liner
Signs your liner is done
Stiff, brittle feel
Healthy vinyl gives under your thumb. If it feels like hard plastic, it will crack rather than stretch.
Wrinkles on the floor
New wrinkles usually mean groundwater under the liner or a washed-out floor. Both get worse.
Liner pulling out of the track
A liner that slips out of the coping bead has shrunk. Once it starts, it repeats every season.
Repeat tears
Two or three patches in a couple of seasons is the vinyl telling you it is out of life.
Rising water loss
Losing more than about a quarter inch a day beyond evaporation points to a hole you have not found yet.
Want this in your backyard? Let us walk it with you.
Check your liner this week
- Press the waterline vinyl: does it flex or resist?
- Compare pattern color above and below the waterline
- Look for new wrinkles that were not there last year
- Check the bead at the coping for slipping
- Count patches from the last two seasons
- Run a bucket test for twenty-four hours
- Inspect steps and benches for wear-through
- Look for rust stains bleeding from the wall
What makes a liner fail early
Unbalanced water
Low pH and high chlorine strip vinyl from the inside. This is the single biggest cause of a liner dying young.
Sun on a bare waterline
An uncovered pool bakes its waterline all winter. A cover is the least expensive liner insurance there is.
Groundwater pressure
High water tables push under the liner and float it. Drainage and a working well point solve it properly.
Our Omaha metro service area
Building anywhere in the metro. Tell us where your yard is.
Questions about liner life
Ask us a question
My liner is fifteen years old and looks fine. Replace it?
If it is soft, sealed and holding water, keep swimming. Age alone is not a reason, but start budgeting.
Are wrinkles always bad?
Minor install wrinkles can be harmless. New wrinkles that grow are a groundwater or floor problem worth investigating.
Can a stretched liner be re-fitted?
Occasionally a shrunk liner can be warmed and re-seated for one more season. It is a stopgap, not a fix.
How much water loss is normal?
Roughly a quarter inch a day to evaporation in summer heat. Consistently more than that means a leak.
What should I do first?
Get the water balanced and run a bucket test. Then have us look before you spend anything.
Related services and guides
Vinyl liner replacement
Custom-measured liners installed in a day, with the repairs underneath handled.
Learn more
Liner repair & patching
Underwater patches and seam repairs, plus honesty about when to stop patching.
Learn more
Leak detection & repair
Pressure and dye testing to locate the leak before anything gets dug up.
Learn more
Pool inspections
Pre-purchase and annual inspections with real numbers on what is coming due.
Learn more
Weekly maintenance
Chemistry, cleaning and filter care every week, on a set day.
Learn more
Pool liner replacement cost
From $6,000
Learn moreSwipe to browse
Have us inspect your liner
Send us a photo or have us stop by. We would rather tell you it has three good years left.