Occasionally, wrinkles develop in vinyl pool liners. Here are some of the causes of, and what you can do about it.
Pool liner wrinkles caused by chemicals:
If you keep your pool chlorine level consistently high, or your pool pH level consistently low – you could develop puckering in your pool liner. It can be a localized problem, due to chlorine coming in direct contact with the liner, or it can be widespread. Often this is accompanied by a lightening or bleaching of the vinyl. These are not good signs, and we recommend reducing your daily chlorine levels, and using caution while shocking the pool. Unfortunately, this type of liner wrinkle cannot be reversed, or easily removed. High chlorine and low pH can be very corrosive, and it literally sucks the plasticizer from the vinyl, causing the liner to contract and pucker
Pool liner wrinkles caused by underground water:
An unfortunate situation, caused by a rising water table, with no topographical escape for the water pressure beneath the pool. Hydrostatic pressure can be so great in rare situations that it can lift a concrete pool out of the ground – and it can much more easily push up a vinyl liner. It will appear as a bump under the liner, like a giant air bubble. When the water table recedes, the liner will come back down to meet the floor/wall, without wrinkles – if you’re lucky. In many cases, however, the liner wrinkles as the water table drops and the liner comes back into place.
To fix this situation, look toward managing the run-off in the area surrounding the pool. Gutter run-off from the house is always suspect, so look to redirecting the water coming from the downspouts – away from the pool. In some cases, the necessary alterations to the landscape and topography surrounding your pool can be severe to correct the situation. Usually, however, some minor corrections can be made to keep ground water from coming to rest up against the pool.
How to remove pool liner wrinkles:
Wrinkles are always easier to remove when the water is warm, and when they haven’t been in place for too long. If the wrinkles have set-in for many months, especially under winter water temps, they may be nearly impossible to remove. Not all wrinkles can be removed and if they are bad enough you may need to replace the liner.
Lowering the water level down to just above the floor, removing much of the water weight, can be helpful – it makes the wrinkles easier to move. But again, try not to go too low, or you may risk more wrinkles appearing in your pool liner.
