Liners come in all sorts of patterns and colors. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when making your choice:
- Liners colors begin fading after 3 seasons or so.
- Most liners functionally last 7-10 years.
- Dark liners are poor choices for pools without pool lights (unsafe during evening swims).
- Liners are most susceptible to wrinkling and "floating" after heavy rains in the first year due to how flexible the vinyl still is.
You can help a liner not fade by keeping your chlorine levels in an appropriate range, and not running chlorine any higher than needed. Also you can install an ionizer (see our section on ionization) or UV system to help disinfect your pool. These options help reduce chlorine significantly, and can extend the color life of the liner.
Liners come in 2 basic thicknesses, 20 mil (standard) and 27 mil (thicker). The obvious difference between the two is that the 27 mil is thicker, and less prone to accidental punctures from sharp object. The 27 mil is recommended for commercial pools or otherwise very heavy usage, pools susceptible to falling branches, and pools with canine swimmers. The 20 mil is a good choice for most pools that have standard usage. 20 mil liners have more stretch, allowing them to contour more perfectly around curves and giving a better fit. These are less bulky at the seams which would be most noticeable on steps or benches.
For most pools, your decision should come down to what print you want to see in your backyard over the next several years, not the thickness. If you have a very unique shaped pool or it has high usage, you may benefit a bit more from one weight over the next.
There is actually no difference in life-expectancy of the 20 mil and the 27 mil liners. The most common failure of both is sun rot above the water line or chemical damage below the water line, not holes. You can expect either thickness to last 7+ seasons if the chemicals are taken care of properly.
