Fast Good Reasonable Liner?

[hrsdennis]

Here on a couple of further comments on Poconos post. There once was a time when liner gauge and mill were synonymous terms. I am not exactly sure when that changed but I think it has to do with Swim Line and their online dynasty. I have often felt that the online 25 gauge liners were not much different than our local 20 mil. I just felt it had to do with the manufacturer and the type of vinyl used. Our store bought liners here are usually Doughboy and internet ones were usually Swim Line. That pretty well explained it all to me. But I guess it goes a little deeper than that. In the Swim and Pool Gear also sell by the gauge and they both use the Swim Line products. You have really got me wanting to dive into this and do some more research.

When I am not building pools I install, and or, sell aluminum awnings. Our awning panels come in several standard grades. The most common being the .020 mil, the .025 mil and the .032 mil. We refer to these as 20 gauge, 25 gauge, and 32 gauge. I hear all of the time how that cannot be, the higher the gauge the thinner the material. It’s just not so in all cases, I guess.

I consider the Swim Line 20 gauge liner to be a five year liner. They are inexpensive and in five years you have gotten your moneys worth out of them. If they last you longer that’s great. It means you have taken very good care of your pool. This brings me to warranties. Read them very closely. With most liners bought over the internet this is how it is. Most stores for that matter. The warranty only covers defects. Defects in seams to be specific. Seams go bad on the initial fill up of a pool if it is going to happen. It is very rare for a seam to go bad at any other time. So a week after your pool is full I can assure you that your warranty will never be used.

I have seen times where the liner companies will take back liners for reasons other that defects, but not to often. Why should they, the hole was not in the liner when it was installed. The next part of the deal is they will not cover water loss, chemicals, labor or shipping. Considering the manufacturing cost of the liner they have very little to lose. And the best part is the prorated thing. After the third season they have nothing to lose. You pay for shipping and the prorated cost is usually more than their manufacturing cost. After five years, if you use your warranty for any reason I know they are making money.

When the fifteen year warranty liner goes bad in five years, you either buy a new one or you use your prorated warranty, either way you become another customer.

OK, I’ve done my ranting for the month. Enjoy your pools, Dennis

[Poconos]

Thanks for the information Dennis. Your post contains more valuable information. Will have to think about creating a general sticky concerning liner purchase guidelines and suggestions. How many people know this stuff or even think to measure thicknesses or have the micrometer or caliper to do it? Gee...maybe liner gauges are somehow related to railroad gauges? Just joking of course.
Al

[waste]

Thanks for the information Dennis. Your post contains more valuable information. Will have to think about creating a general sticky concerning liner purchase guidelines and suggestions. How many people know this stuff or even think to measure thicknesses or have the micrometer or caliper to do it? Gee...maybe liner gauges are somehow related to railroad gauges? Just joking of course.
Al

Al, (sorry this thread is a little stale), if you do the sticky, remember to add that looking at a 1' X 3' swatch doesn't give the true impression of how a filled pool will look, we've had a number of customers complain that the liner we're installing isn't the one they ordered (even though it is). Whenever possible, look at a pool with the same liner, or at least a picture of that liner in a filled pool. Just a little friendly advice based on experience