What Gauge Liner To Use

by Richard Vellucci
(Safety Harbor fl)

I am replacing my existing 24' round pool (48" that is buried and has a deep end that is 2' over about have of the pool) with a new one that is 52".

The original liner, and a replacement that I used for 10 years, were 20 gauge and stretched to fit in the pool. Will a 25 gauge overlap liner stretch in this application or do I need to use 20 gauge or an expandable liner. Any other suggestions or info that would help in this decision would be appreciated. Thanks



Hi Richard. Either a 20 mil or a 25 mil expandable liner will work just fine. There is no 20 mil flat bottom liner that will stretch into a 2' deep end so I am very sure you used expandable liners previously.

I would strongly recommend using a Doughboy brand expandable liner. I prefer their 20 mil over the 25 and it is much less expensive. I prefer Doughboy because it will expand into any size deep end you have, it is a true expandable liner. These liners can be installed into a deep end pool with no wrinkles. I do not know of any other liners that can do that, and I have tried many.

I want to also add a quick note about the difference between gauge and mil. A 20 mil liner equals about a 16 gauge liner. A 25 gauge liner would be the equivalent of a 20 mil liner.

So my advice is to be sure you get an expandable liner. And if you want a smooth install, go the extra dollars and get a Doughboy. They are just the best liners for deep ends.