This article will talk about why you might need to repair the vinyl liner of your swimming pool and how you might go about doing that.

Does your pool lining need to be repaired?

You might think that your vinyl pool lining needs to be repaired. If there is an obvious rip, tear or hole then the problem is pretty self-evident. However you might just notice that the water level has dropped or is dropping regularly.

If you need to add 2 inches of water or more to your pool each week then you probably do have a leak. However if you notice the water level dropping only when the pump and filter are running then it is actually more likely to be a plumbing leak than a liner that needs repair.

Finding the leak.

If you simply walk around your pool and keep an eye out for wet areas on the ground or areas where the grass is greener than its surroundings then either of these can be indicators of where a leak is.

Inside the pool you might pop on some goggles and look for splits, tears or areas that have sunk. It’s worth paying special attention to areas around the steps and in any corners or tight curves where the liner might be under greater tension.

Above the waterline there may be small splits or cracks in the liner caused by wear and tear or by UV during the summer or cold in the winter.

Repairing the leak.

Once you have actually found the offending area, repairing the pool liner is pretty straightforward.

A repair kit will consist of a piece of coloured vinyl liner that will match your pool and an appropriate adhesive that will work above or underwater.

You should use sandpaper to roughen the surface of the liner and of the back of the patch. Smooth out any air bubbles and leave the patching cement to set.

It’s also possible to use a nitrile rubber-based sealant instead of a patch. With this you simply spread the sealant over small vinyl leaks and even underwater it will seal small slices in the liner.

So now you can see that it is quite simple to repair your own vinyl pool lining but if you would prefer to trust the job to a pool professional, there is a find a supplier link at the top of this article that can get that process underway.

We hope this article has been of use to you. There are many more articles on this site that will give you information on almost every aspect of your pool.