So with the Swimming pool season now in full swing brought forward by this year a repeat of the 2011 spring weather, well in fact lets face it! its a stonking spring with record temperatures. Being a seasoned pool owner you will know the first few weeks of monitoring a liner swimming pool for water loss is critical and this often is for a number of reasons:
1. The age of the swimming pool and more importantly the age of the liner.
2. Given the harsh winters of late we have experienced, we have experienced swimming pool liners failing in the winter period, mainly failure caused by frost damage the pool waters surface can often freeze over beneath the winter debris cover and as we know when water freezes it expands, this expansion can often split older liners, winter call backs and overviews can often spot this problem early.
3. Reheating the swimming pool at the beginning of the season, often the initial re-heat of the swimming pool can lead to once more splitting of the liner, more common in liners older than 10 years old. The splitting is potentially caused by expansion as the liner expands due to heat, should the liner of lost its elasticity often the liner will simply crack and release water.
4. Swimming pool gasket failure, sometimes during the winter close service the swimming pool water level is lowered beneath critical components such as the skimmer, return fittings and potentially the under water light. Lowering the water beneath these items whilst great for protecting these vital items can lead to the water tight gasket joining seals ‘drying out’ this drying of the gasket upon refill can lead to the swimming pool liner not sealing against gasket and fittings resulting in movement and potentially ripping of the liner from the fittings.
Do not fear these common swimming pool liner failures are mainly linked to age, the Ideal life span of a swimming pool liner is anything in excess of 10years these such failures can often occur well into year 15 and above in some cases.
So lets say you have experienced swimming pool liner failure and you are looking for a standard swimming pool liner replacement what thickness should you choose? a number of factors may sway your choice:
1. Budget often as a general rule the thinner the liner the lower the cost
2. Expected lifespan, if you are in a rental property and the swimming pool is your sole responsibility as thinner liner might be more beneficial if you are not to be the long term beneficiary. Equally if you simply love your swimming pool and your looking for longevity then the simple rule is the thicker liners wear and tend to last much longer.
3. Who is fitting the liner? If an expert is installing your swimming pool liner then sit back and relax as often installers are used to manipulating even the heavier grade pool liners into position, however if you are considering a self swimming pool liner installation then an middle of the road thickness ought to be considered, unless you have eaten your Weetabix.
We note in 2012 there is an industry move away from lower 0.5mm or 20thou liners, we are fairly sure this is decision that has come about over the last decade within the swimming pool industry due the complication in installing the thinnest liner on the inground swimming pool market. the historic problem with the 20thou liners is the risk of accidental damage being higher, the material can often expand too much during the installation process on very hot days and projected life being the lowest. It seems Certikin international ltd have made a very prudent move within the swimming pool market in 2012 specifically noting within their manufacturing catalog the specific note on 20 thou pool liners ‘ while stocks last ‘ a very interesting long term move, and a very wise one we are sure.
The next size in the range is now what is deemed the standard 30thou thickness liner or 0.75mm. We find this thickness has an excellent offering of choice for patterns and options within the market and certainly Evo pools new standard pool liner for inground swimming pools. We find installing 30thou liners very easy and certainly something a competent DIY’er can carry out in a weekend.
Launched in 2010 by Certikin was the 35 thou linercurrently there are serious limitations on the patterns available being … well none! the 35 thou is currently only available in the plain colours. The benefit of course with the 35 thou pool liner really is longevity the expected life of the new generation 35 thou liners is well in excess of 15 years! and if you choose to install one your will find out why the material is very heavy weight and well.. heavy so if you fancy future proofing your swimming pool and installing a 35thou pool liner yourself, then perhaps get a few friends round to help you lift and maneuver liner into position and ensure you eat something more than Weetabix and have a few Red bull energy drinks on standby you will need it!
Still our biggest selling liner thickness is the 30thou or 0.75mm swimming pool liners, with the new 35thou coming a close second. We recommend the 30thou for all self liner installers.
For Swimming pool liner advice and help during selection pleas use our liner calculator and liner selector and feel free to call for advice 01363 837 05 Evolution Pools Lapford Crediton Devon EX17 6YQ, Just off the A377.
