Prefabricated Liners

While guarantees on prefabricated liners vary from manufacturer to manufacturer their life expectancy is generally in the region of 7 to 10 years provided that the swimming pool is operated within standard care and maintenance schedules.  The lifespan of a 0.750mm liner is not directly proportional to the lifespan of a 0.500mm liner.  Given the theoretical situation where two liners, one 0.500mm and one 0.750mm are installed in identical swimming pools and treated throughout their lives identically in every way, then it can be assumed that if the 0.500mm liner lasts 10 years then the 0.750mm liner is likely to last for 2 years longer.

Prefabricated liners are made undersize to allow for a crease free stretch fit.  This stretch fit causes the liner to stand away slightly from the pool walls in the corners of rectangular pools, especially near the water surface and above.  It is impossible to damage the liner in these areas without using a sharp instrument as the liner material has a stretch factor of approximately 250%.  Due to under sizing, liner walls can sometimes run into the floor area.  It is therefore important that the pool owner is made aware of this possibility.

As a result of this high stretch factor, it is not possible, during manufacture, to align the pattern between the strips of material that make up the liner.  It is important to bear this in mind, particularly when ordering liners with a regular pattern.  Similarly, great care must be taken when ordering a liner with a different colour base from the side wall for a pool where the wall to floor join is uneven as the resulting “wandering join” will be unsightly.