Symptoms
- Visible folds or wrinkles in the liner, often at the bottom or walls
- Liner feels loose or moves underfoot
- Wrinkles worsen or shift position over time
Likely causes
- CommonWater trapped between the liner and the pool wall/floorGroundwater or a small leak can seep behind the liner, causing it to lift and wrinkle.
- CommonLiner naturally stretching with ageVinyl liners lose some elasticity over years, leading to a looser fit.
- PossibleLiner installed with excess material originallyImproper installation can leave slack that wrinkles as the liner settles.
What to do
- Confirm there isn't a leak causing water to get behind the liner using the bucket test method for water loss.
- If a leak is suspected, address it first, since new wrinkles will keep forming otherwise.
- For minor wrinkles from stretching, some can be smoothed by hand while swimming and gently pushing them toward a corner or the shallow end steps.
- For significant folds, a professional can drain the pool partially, lift the liner at the track, remove trapped water or air, and re-stretch it.
- Avoid dragging heavy pool equipment across the liner while working, since vinyl can tear during handling.
- If the liner is old and wrinkling significantly along with fading or thinning, plan for a full liner replacement instead.
Tools and parts
- None for minor smoothing
- Pool liner tools (professional re-stretch)
Replacement vinyl pool linerSearch: “replacement vinyl pool liner”
When to call a pro
Re-stretching or repositioning a pool liner is a specialized job best left to a pool liner installer to avoid tearing it.
Safety
Generally low risk
Generally low risk for a careful person. Stop if anything looks different from what this guide describes.