Service
Vinyl liner leak detection
Vinyl liner pools leak differently from gunite, and they are common here. The liner itself is the waterproofing, so a failure in it is a direct loss, and it is often invisible until you look for it deliberately.
How a liner is checked
Dye testing at suspected points, worked methodically across seams, the bead track, and every fitting penetration. A liner tear is usually small and rarely where the owner expects it.
Fittings deserve particular attention. The point where a return, skimmer, light or step bolt passes through vinyl is a manufactured weakness, and it fails far more often than the sheet does.
Where liners fail
- Fitting penetrations
- Returns, skimmer, lights, steps. Any hole cut in the liner during installation.
- Bead track
- Where the liner is held at the top of the wall. Separation here loses water at the level it separates.
- Seams
- Factory-welded joins can open, particularly on older liners.
- Punctures and tears
- Usually small, often in the floor, frequently caused by something dropped.
- Behind the liner
- A pool losing water through the plumbing behind an intact liner presents identically from the surface. Worth ruling out before a liner is blamed.
Tell us what it's doing.
Describe what you are seeing and we will tell you what it sounds like and what a visit would involve. If it is dropping fast, call. You will reach a three-person, owner-led team.
Questions people ask
Can a liner tear be patched, or does the liner need replacing?
Many tears patch successfully, particularly away from seams and fittings. Age and condition of the vinyl decide it. An old, brittle liner may not take a patch, and we will say so.
My liner looks fine. Can it still be leaking?
Yes. Fitting failures and bead-track separation are not obvious to look at, and a floor puncture can be very hard to see. That is what dye testing is for.
Could it be the plumbing rather than the liner?
It could, and that is worth establishing before anyone quotes you for a liner. The lines are tested the same way as on any other pool.