Research by both chemical suppliers and vinyl manufacturers have confirmed that wrinkles in swimming pool liners develop because of the growth of the liner's dimensions due to an excess of absorbed water. Technical articles published in the past have stressed the adverse affect of low pH as the main cause of liner growth. However, recent experiments have shown that high levels of sanitizers, whether bromine or chlorine are the primary cause behind excessive water absorption. If the sanitizer level is allowed to remain high, double triple or even four or five times the normal amount of water can be absorbed. Therefore, controlling sanitzer levels is the number one priority when maintaining proper water chemistry, which is essential, if wrinkling problems are to be avoided.

pH and cyanuric acid stabilizer levels are important secondary factors because they control the activity of the sanitizer. However, once wrinkles have developed, correction of pH or stabilizer content will not reverse the amount of water absorbed into the liner. In some cases, draining the pool and allowing the water to slowly desorb and evaporate has reduced or eliminated wrinkles. This procedure is not without risk because some liners, depending on age, may over shrink and not stretch back into place without failing. It has also been shown that once the surface of the liner has been affected by the sanitizer, water can rapidly reabsorb and the wrinkles may quickly reappear.

Pool water clarity is often reduced by undissolved particulate matter introduced by bather load. Often these particles can be flocculated by the use of a clarifier and removed by filtration. The filtration system must be operated at it's optimum level, since sanitizer alone cannot eliminate excessive particulate matter present in the pool, and the overuse of chlorine or bromine to improve clarity will increase the probability of wrinkle development.