Lumps and Bumps Under Your Swimming Pool Vinyl Liner
Lumps under your pool liner are an indicator that something has shifted. Here in Manitoba, our winters make having a concrete pool very difficult. Hydraulic clay, silt, along with saturated soils makes frost heaving a force of Mother Nature. This is why vinyl lined pools are so popular in Winnipeg and Manitoba.
Ground movement and shifting that would cause a concrete pool to crack and leak are merely a crease or bump under your pool liner. Even old and brittle pool liners will shift and move without cracking. However, these pool liner issues can become bigger problems if not properly cared for. Below we share some tips on the causes and prevention of pool liner surface problems.
Why Is There Air Under My Pool LIner?
When your pool liner floats we are referring to when water gets under your pool liner and forces it upward. (this is not air)
Pool liner floating is usually caused from a hole in your pool liner. Once your pool liner has lifted, debris and loose pieces of sand or cement roll down your pool slopes and walls. After your vinyl pool liner has shifted and settled you can end up with creases that were not there before, and lumps that were not present before your vinyl pool liner floated. This can be fixed by a diver who is trained in pool liner repair.
Pool Liner Initial Installation Issues
The second common cause of a rough pool floor is improper installation or a soft base. Your pool floor may have been rough from day one because the installer did not trowel it smooth enough. The pool floor can also be soft from leaking pool water that has damaged the base.
The picture to left is a before after picture of a pool floor that was soft and rough and needed resurfacing. We resurfaced the pool floor with a sand and cement mixture and troweled it smooth creating a hard/smooth surface floor the liner to rest on. This makes for a long lasting liner that is easy to clean!
Preventing Pool Liner Wrinkling Problems
Sometimes pools are installed too low in the ground or landscaping is trapping water around your pool. The best way to prevent your vinyl liner from floating and causing lumps or creases in your vinyl pool liner is to install a sump well or sump pit. It is a pit that is about 5’ deep and sits close to the edge of your pool. This pit collects the water from around your pool and then the sump pump, evacuates the water away to the sewer or low lying area if you are outside Winnipeg.
Eventually, you may require a pool liner replacement, but the best way to stay away from this problem is through prevention. Monitoring water loss from your pool and contacting a professional at first signs of water loss are the best way to prevent lumps under your liner. Excessive rain and runoff water can also cause your pool liner to float. Make sure all eaves trough downspouts are running away from the pool. Designing your landscaping to drain water away from your pool is also very important.
Pumping your pool water down too low during winterizing your pool or summerizing your pool can cause your pool liner to float. The water pressure inside your pool is equalized with water behind your pool liner (ground water) and causes your pool liner to float. Pool bottom (floor) damage will often result.