How to preserve your pool liner?

A swimming pool liner is renowned for its watertightness and resistance, but it needs regular maintenance and appropriate cleaning to preserve its qualities and aesthetic appearance. Here are 2 golden rules for preserving your liner: balanced water and regular pool maintenance.

Cleaning your pool liner

Your pool liner makes your pool watertight. Its primary function is to prevent water from seeping into the ground, while protecting the structure. It's made of PVC to resist UV rays and chemicals. So it's an essential part of your installation! On average, a liner lasts between 10 and 15 years. Its composition, which can be thicker or thinner, varnished or reinforced, requires appropriate maintenance and cleaning to preserve its durability.

How to clean your liner and your pool

A clean pool and clear water help preserve your liner for the long term. You can find our tips for cleaning your pool here. In high season, you should clean your liner almost daily, or at least once a week. A thorough cleaning is necessary during wintering and when your pool is restarted.

Liner cleaning tools

To care for your liner, you can alternate between manual and automatic tools:

• Hand tools: a soft brush for the waterline and a sponge for hard-to-reach areas (corners, edges). A vacuum broom can be used to quickly remove small debris from the bottom of the pool.
• Automatic tools: for weekly or more thorough cleaning, a robot with flap or pin brushes is ideal. This allows you to clean all the walls and bottom of the pool.

Maintenance products for liner cleaning

The key to cleaning your liner is to use products adapted to the material of your liner (classic liner, reinforced PVC, with or without varnish...).

• Stain remover is used to remove traces of suntan oil, sun cream, rust and other stubborn dirt.
• Descaler removes limescale deposits and other mineral residues from the walls and bottom of the pool.

On a daily basis, you can use natural products such as white vinegar for the water line, and baking soda to remove stains. Finally, soda crystals help to remove grease and are a powerful cleaner.

What to do if stains appear on the liner?

There are several types of stains on liners:

Black spots

It indicates the presence of metal particles in the water, such as copper. We recommend using a "special metal" flocculant to remove them.

Green spots at the water line

Green spots are the sign of too much sun exposure and you need to act quickly to prevent the dirt from sticking. Start by lowering the water level, then scrubbing and brushing the stains with a sponge. Use "special waterline" cleaners. Protect your pond from the sun during hot weather.

Pink spots

They reveal abnormal humidity under the liner, which causes bacteria to proliferate. First, apply a shock treatment, then filter the water continuously for 48 hours. If the problem persists, your liner is probably no longer waterproof. Contact your specialist without delay.

White or grey patches

If your liner is less than 10 years old, the presence of these stains can mean water that is too hard. In this case, take a tH measurement to check the water's hardness. If your liner is more than 10 years old, it may be deteriorated and at the end of its life.

Yellow spots

Your pool water is out of balance. Check the pH and readjust it if necessary. Act quickly before algae appears, which is more difficult to treat and requires the use of more chemicals.

Do you use a chlorine treatment?

If you are using a chlorine treatment, you should never put the pebbles in direct contact with the liner as this will cause discolouration or staining of the surface. In general, manufacturers recommend putting the chlorine pebbles in the skimmers or in a floating basket.

Balancing the water means preserving your liner

The right water balance extends the life of your liner, protecting it from chemical attack, mineral deposits and discoloration. With clean, healthy water, you protect all your pool's equipment, especially the liner in direct contact with chemicals and UV rays. Water balance boils down to pH, TH (water hardness) and TAC (water alkalinity).

Here are some examples of the impacts of water imbalance:

• When the tH and TAC are low and the pH is high ,, the water is aggressive. In this case, the liner folds and the filtration equipment is damaged.
• If the tH and TAC are high and the pH is too low, the water becomes scaled. Limescale deposits and impurities are deposited on the waterline. The filtration equipment can also be damaged.
• Finally, in hot weather, the water temperature should not exceed 28°C. Water that is too hot contributes to the to the proliferation of algae.

What you need to know about maintaining your liner

The liner of a swimming pool is exposed to many elements (chemicals, debris and UV rays) on a daily basis, making it fragile. To preserve its aesthetic appeal and waterproofing function, it's important to take good care of it on a daily basis, using the right cleaning products and tools. However, the best way to preserve it remains to maintain balanced water, with the right dosage of water disinfection products. The ICO Pool connected water analyzer helps you keep your water clean and healthy every day, and guides you in your daily pool maintenance.