Liner Standards

Standards are important for any industry. They protect consumers and promote industry integrity. Previously, the vinyl liner pool industry had no standards, tests, or certifications revolving around Inground Pool Liners. While many manufacturers boasted ‘virgin vinyl’ or ‘North American vinyl’ as a mark of quality, even those two claims had little to no bearing on the actual quality of the material. Worse more, without either claim, the vinyl was likely even poorer quality, overseas sourced, and loaded with fillers. Even liners from the same manufacturer/fabricator but different vinyl film suppliers would be of different quality.

Ultimately, consumers and dealers are the ones who suffered through this time in the industry. Many consumers received liners that aged prematurely through unwarranted fading, became brittle well before their lifespan, or simply didn’t have the elasticity to fit their pool correctly as they should have originally. Dealers paid the price with their own reputations and pockets as some manufacturers refused to accept responsibility for the material issues.

The Pool Liner Industry has been a wild-wild-west. 

That Changes NOW.

ENTER: The Chemical Films & Fabrics Association

The Chemical Films and Fabrics Association aka CFFA, is known for setting standards through tailored testing criteria for the products of a given industry. Examples of the products they set criteria for are; any PVC, Vinyl, or Polyurethane based sheet material. Typical applications are contract upholstery, geomembranes, pool liners, and transportation interiors (car seats). With years of experience under their belt, CFFA-P-101 Testing Criteria was introduced - The Recommended Minimum Performance Standards for VINYL SWIMMING POOL LINERS – IN-GROUND.

The CFFA Uses Accredited Testing Labs to run tests on materials for:

• Color Stability & Sun Cracking (UV and Xenon Arc Testing)
• Density (less fillers)
• High and Low Temperature Material Stability
• Stain Resistance
• Tensile Strength/Elasticity/Tear Resistance
• Thickness

When a Vinyl Liner is tested and meets or exceeds the Performance Requirements set forth in this CFFA-P-101 Standard, the liner can then be certified.

OAPP CFFA CERTIFICATION

2024 and beyond will be pivotal for the Vinyl Liner Swimming Pool community as consumers and dealers alike will now be able to look for a mark of assurance that the liner they are putting in a pool is held to standards certifying it is fit for use in a pool. Only Alpha Pool Products is proud to stand behind the CFFA as a Fabricator and use ONLY CFFA-P-101 Certified Material for our Vinyl Liners.