The long and hot Orlando summer can be brutal on above-ground pool liners. And here, they may not last as long as areas in the north.
Over a span of 37 years, I have seen, installed, and changed thousands of above-ground swimming pool liners in Central Florida. Here are some of my long-term observations.
Above-ground pool liners in Orlando last on average 3-5 years for a standard gauge and 5-8 years for a heavy gauge. This is providing the liner was made in the US or Canada AND was properly installed.
4 MAIN FACTORS THAT DETERMINE HOW LONG AN AG POOL LINER WILL LAST IN ORLANDO
1 Quality of the liner
Installing a heavy gauge, fully printed, liner made in the USA or Canada is your best bet for a long-lasting liner.
2 Proper adding of chemicals
Adding granular chlorine directly to the pool without first diluting it will bleach out the liner and take life from it. Granulate chlorine sitting on the bottom of the pool makes the liner in contact with brittle and eventually prone to cracking (leaking).
If you can, use liquid chlorine instead of granular. Liquid chlorine will disperse quickly in the pool and not sit at the bottom and bleach out the liner.
NOTE: There is an above-ground pool retailer in Orlando that does not recommend using liquid chlorine in above-ground vinyl pools. For the life of me, I don’t understand why. My only explanation is that they are giving out bad advice because they just don’t know any better.
3 The amount of direct hot sunlight
Orlando gets a lot of direct sunlight. And although I have seen many liners that get a lot of direct sun last many years, as a general rule, it takes some life from the liner.
I’m not a big fan of covering above-ground pools. Only because it is such a pain to put them on and take them off. However I have noticed pools that are covered have longer-lasting liners.
4 How well they were installed
Vinyl liners made for above-ground pools can take a decent amount of abuse. They can stretch and be pulled out of shape more than you think and still hold water well.
I have noticed though that liners not installed well are more prone to leaks and don’t last as long as those installed well.
LINERS MAY LAST LONGER WITH LINER GUARDS, BUT IT DEPENDS
Liner guards(pads) are very popular for above-ground pools. And they do have their advantages, but allowing the liner to last longer isn’t necessarily one of them.
If the earth bottom of a pool has a lot of debris, has an oily base, or has a lot of nutgrass in it, then a liner pad can prolong the life of the liner.
This is only because the liner guard will prevent some leaks, which will help add time before the liner needs replacing.
THE LINER I RECOMMEND
I don’t sell liners and am not here to tell you where to buy one. So, this isn’t a sales directive. Just an observation as to which type of liner will last longer.
If you can, get a heavy gauge (usually described as 25), fully printed, unibead/J-hook type, liner ABSOLUTELY MADE IN THE US OR CANADA.
The above liner should last you 5-8 years in Orlando on average.