Pattern removal on liner

[duraleigh]

Hi, folks,

Visiting my father-in-law in FL. Hope you can see from the photos the pattern from his 3 yo liner is gone in spots....especially where walls and floor meet.

Water test results are:
pH - 7.3
TA - 90
FC - 4.5
TC - 4.5
CH - 230
CYA - 30

He is using a Barracuda G3 suction side Cleaner and that appears to be the most likely culprit but I am looking for any other possibilities. Anyone else see this happen with a suction side cleaner?

 

[baudilus]

The only time I've seen that happen is when using granular chlorine (dichlor) or powdered superchlorinator - is this how he shocks his pool? If so, it's possible he doesn't brush up the granules that hit the floor and they have bleached the liner.

 

[duraleigh]

Yeah my first reaction was dichlor, too, but the very distinct color loss is 90% within 4-5" of the junction of the pool floor and walls. It's that very narrow white band right at the junction in the pics.

It's hard to capture it in pics but it's pretty obvious that it seems to be a wear issue. You can see increased color loss at virtually every junction of any two surfaces. Even where the floor meets the walls on a 45 as it rises up from the hopper, there is this same pattern of color loss within a few inches of that junction of surfaces.

If the G3 is not known for doing this (I can't imagine it is or it would be taken off the market) then they have purchased a liner with inferior color application.

I suspect that to be the case because I can "feel" the color on the surface of this liner where other liners I have felt the color seems almost impregnated and you don't perceive the colored side with any difference in texture than the non-colored side.

 

[MikeInTN]

I can't speak for the G3, but I do use a suction side cleaner, and don't have any problems like that whatsoever. I think you're on the right track about the liner if you can "feel" the pattern on the liner.

 

[polyvue]

I don't know anything about the cleaner described but I would suspect that the pool is being brushed with a bit too much vigor. The cove would be where I exert the most force on the pool brush extension to force it to level out at the pool bottom.

 

[257WbyMag]

I've got a G3 and I can attest that they do have a tendency to pattern, especially when the wearable parts (foot, diaphragm, fin disc, hose sections) get older and stiff or worn. That looks like wear from the cleaner patterning to me. Has anyone watched the Baracuda just to see where it tends to go when it's in the pool?

I can't completely disregard chemical bleaching here though. If there exists a sort of "dead zone" around these areas where granules are pushed by water currents and allowed to remain undisturbed, this would then be possible. If this were a liner quality issue, I would think that you would see this sort of color loss all over the pool and not just on the bottom and edges.

So...

Primary most likely - Baracuda patterning
Secondary most likely - chemicals sitting in dead space on the floor
Tertiary most likely - liner quality problem

 

[duraleigh]

I don't suspect chemical issues because the "wear" is in such specific areas. They have had the same pool service since the liner was new and they have the water in perfect balance.

Excess brush pressure is a good thought but this pool is rarely, if ever, brushed.

The remainder of the bottom does show some slight wear but nothing like the areas where the vertical and horzontal surfaces come together.

I am becoming more and more convinced that the liner pattern was printed on very poorly and, combined with the suction and friction effect of the G3, the pattern came off.

 

[knick_mike]

All suction side cleaners have the 'pattern tendency issue', it is one of the most annoying 'features' about suction-side cleaners. However, I have never seen a suction-side cleaner do any type of damage to the patterns on the liner. I hate to burst your bubble, but I would rule it out. On the other hand, you might check with the dealer he bought it from, on rare occasion some liner manufacturers have kind of...a recall, on a batch of liners. Liners can vary from dye lot to dye lot, and if the liner isn't actually taking on any damage, and just fading, it might be worth a phone call.