A vinyl pool in-ground or above-ground differs from your traditional plaster or concrete pool. The differences don’t stop on the actual vinyl material but on many different levels, including which chemicals to use in the pool, how to clean a vinyl pool, and which automatic cleaner is safe.
A vinyl pool’s surface is a piece of plastic. Unlike a cement plaster pool, a vinyl pool can be easily stained by chemicals. You can stain a plaster pool with chemicals, but it is much more resistant than a vinyl surface. You cannot put Cal-Hypo, Trichlor, or other granular chlorine directly onto the vinyl surface. Liquid chlorine and Cal Hypo Tablets are safe in the skimmer, and Cal Hypo directly in the pool skimmer. Caution is the keyword here, so think whenever you add anything, will this stain the surface?”
Since the vinyl pool surface is a piece of plastic, it will have a lower acid demand. This means that the pH in the pool will tend to drift down and not up. This means you should have Soda Ash or 20 Mule Team Borax on hand to raise the pH in the pool. Baking Soda is good but will increase the Alkalinity a lot more than the pH, so I would not use it to raise the pH in a pool. You will rarely need to add any Muriatic Acid to lower the pH, which is a good thing, but keep an eye on the pH as it will tend to drift down and not up again. The water in a vinyl pool can become very corrosive, and your eyes may burn, and your skin may itch if the pH drops below 7.0 on the scale.
Since you are dealing with a piece of plastic, be aware that you can easily tear the vinyl liner, and the replacement cost can be pretty high. Do not use any brushes with stainless steel bristles or older leaf rakes exposed to the metal frame. You also want to use a wheeled vacuum with caution. A brush vac is a better option. Think, “Will using this rip the liner?” Be careful with certain pool toys or any object with sharp edges; Hot Wheel Cars, Toy Guns, and the like should not be in a vinyl pool.
An automatic cleaner is an excellent idea for a vinyl pool. The bouncing type cleaner works best, in my opinion. So, the Zodiac Ranger would be my first choice for a cleaner. You can also use a Hayward Navigator with Vinyl shoes or the Pentair Lil’ Rebel. But those last two won’t clean the walls effectively. A robotic pool cleaner is also a great option; many cleaners are made specifically for vinyl pools.
The bottom line is that you must be very conscious of what you put into a vinyl pool and what you use to clean it, and always think of the surface to prevent stains and tears. Vinyl is an excellent pool surface type; if you follow these cations, your liner will last for many years.
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