Looking at the Plastimayd liners they have 20, 28 a mix of these and an ultra series with some blend of stuff to supposedly resist heat, uv, and chemical deterioration to last up to 50% longer. The warranty for the ultra also covers sun rot which the warranty for the 28 mil doesn't. But the ultra only comes in 20 mil thickness. The builder is looking into this some more but he usually installs 28 mil. The price difference is maybe $150 more for the ultra and we can get the color we want too.

Does anyone have any experience with the ultra series? I do get a lot of sun on the pool. Is the thicker liner going to last 50% longer than a standard 20 mil liner anyway?

Thicker is not going to extend anything. It's suitable when dealing with rougher surfaces. It just weighs more, making installation harder. The vast majority of pools I reline are with 20 mil liners.

Scott

Thanks Scott. Do you have any experience with the ultra series? I've got a lot of roots hat have encroached on the pool. The 28 mil should be less likely to get compromised by them right?

That section of floor or hopper with the impinging root growth must have the roots removed. That will require some more significant patching. I never go less than 6" past the pool to remove the roots and then apply an herbicide to discourage new growth prior to applying the suited patch material..

The thicker liner will cost more and not stop the roots. The only way I know is to remove the roots. This may cost about the same as the up charge for the thicker liner. If the price is the same, the roots still have to go.

Scott

I realize the liner won't stop the roots but is a thinner liner more prone to being damaged/leaking because of root damage?

It makes sense to me that the 28 mil is less prone to damage.....particularly something being accidentally dropped in the pool.

A couple of years ago, a thunderstorm blew a big, wrought iron table into the pool. It was in the 6' end and I couldn't find any indentations in the vermiculite bottom so I guess it didn't hit very hard or on a sharp corner. Anyway, that's the kind of thing where thicker would surely be better.

My liner is 20 mil and, as I said, there was no damage but I may have just been lucky.

Will a 28 mil last longer? Not normally.

Would screw driver dropped in a pool, landing face down cut through either? Likely if it cut the 20, the 28 would also be cut.

Would a 28 be more resistant to abrasion? Likely. But not by much. The one place I like to see thicker material is on the steps of a liner over pool. That's it.

Unless the pool has a lot of rough surface areas, the thicker liner doesn't do much for most circumstances.

Scott

I went through this a bit when I had my liner put in. I ultimately when with a 20mil. Here are some of the things I considered

Appearance. As I understood it both 20 mil and thicker liners have their patterns on their surface. For the most part, the pattern should wear just as fast on a thick liner as a thinner one. Since appearance can be a driving factor in replacement, your not getting and more life out of a thinker liner.

Durability, cut/puncture resistance. I first I considered this as a reason for going with at 28 or 30 mil liner. However, from reading this forum, in practice that doesn't seem true. When I thought about it, I think I understand why. If I remember right, 1 mil is about .001 of an inch. 28 mil is only .008 of an inch thicker. For perspective, a human hair is about .005 of an inch thick. So for cut/puncture resistance, the cut/puncture that would cut a 20mil but not a 28mil would have to be literally a hairs difference. When I thought about it like, that. The thickness didn't seem to really matter as much as the warranty, pattern and cost.

Durability wear resistance. This is probably the only place where the 8mils would make a difference. But like I said above in the appearance. By the time the pattern wears off, I'm probably going to be looking to replace it soon.

I hope that helps.

But in the end, its your pool and your money. If you feel more comfortable with a thicker liner, just get one and enjoy the peace of mind.

Thanks for the comments all - I'm meeting with my builder in the morning this definitely helps