UPDATED Blue Liner white stains? pics included

[pistol18]

Good Afternoon please take a look and let me know your thoughts. 4 year old concrete wall, vinyl liner saltwater pool.
I noticed these 2 spots or areas last year and after opening the pool a few days ago, they are getting larger. 1st 2 pics size is approx 6" length and 3rd pic is approx 3" length. Spots are on same side of pool but 8-10 feet apart and are where the vertical wall meets the bottom drop off to the deep end.

I have submitted pics to pool builder and liner manufacturer and am awaiting a response.

Anytime I add ph up or stabilizer, I follow directions by placing in the 2 skimmers or diluting and broadcasting around the perimeter of the pool.
I have never just poured anything into 1 spot repeatedly(which pool builder asked me). Also it was mentioned that numerous vinyl pieces are affected where the seams meet.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

[pooldv]

Re: Blue Liner white stains? pics included

Are they smooth, like bleached out liner? Or rough like something is on the liner?

Tell us what test kit you use and give us the last few sets of test results. That will help us more than anything to diagnose the problem.

 

[pistol18]

Re: Blue Liner white stains? pics included

Thanks for the reply, Yes the liner is smooth in those areas too.

I travel a ton for work so use the pool store for water tests(don't shoot lol) but I can tell you that I spend on average only $30-50 per season including 1 bag of salt, ph down and stabilizer(pool gets sun all day, no trees covering it)

Water is always clear, sparkles and no issues.

 

[pooldv]

Re: Blue Liner white stains? pics included

Ok, smooth rules out calcium scale. My next guess is the liner is bleached from low CYA and high FC ratio. Here is the ratio we recommend, Chlorine CYA Chart

 

[pistol18]

Re: Blue Liner white stains? pics included

pooldv thank you for the replies. Looking at the pool with the light on this evening, it appears that a majority of the liner on same side where the big spots are is getting lighter along the length of where the vertical wall meets the bottom. Coincidentally this is the same side of the pool that is in the sun most of the day.

The liner manufacturer headquarters happens to be approx 30 miles away and we are trying to get them out for a site visit.

 

[pooldv]

Re: Blue Liner white stains? pics included

Yes, the sun/UV will certainly also fade the line over time.

 

[pistol18]

Re: Blue Liner white stains? pics included

4 years in though, seems a little soon?

 

[pooldv]

Re: Blue Liner white stains? pics included

4 years in though, seems a little soon?

Agreed.

 

[pistol18]

Update. The pool liner tech was out this morning and he did not have any explanation for the spots on the liner. He did agree that if it was a chemical pour it would not have stopped on a 45° angle it would've continued down to the bottom.

Also he pointed out some wear on the steps that I did not even see. He has forwarded his report to his superiors and the pool builder to see what they say.

Is my expectation that they replace the liner reasonable? Or am I dreaming?

 

[pooldv]

How long is the warranty? Maybe a pro-rated replacement offer.

 

[RobbieH]

Hey, ignore the directions. Don't pour chemicals down your skimmer.

 

[LinerMfgr]

Just want to point out that this is definitely not a manufacturing/print defect. It is easy to tell because the "stain" crosses over seams. It would be wildly unlikely that the print was defective across those three pieces and would line up perfectly. Whatever caused the problem happened after the liner was assembled. Liners are put together using RF welders that melt the vinyl together--not glue or solvent or anything like that. Liner manufacturing plants go to great lengths to ensure there are no hazards (sharp things, pointy things, things that could be spilled on a liner to cause bleach spots) easily accessible.

Chlorine is heavier than water, so it pools strangely sometimes. Are the stains above the returns or skimmer? I've seen similar stains when people put chlorine in the skimmer or use the floating chlorine things. Admittedly, I'm fairly ignorant when it comes to pool chemistry, but I do know liners.

Also, I can say with certainty that it is not UV. The liner above the water liner would bleach out and become brittle well before you would see any UV damage below the waterline. Water reflects most of the harmful rays from the sun, so the tile line gets a double dose of UV.

So, to sum up, I am 100% certain that it is an environmental issue and not a manufacturing issue. And, just to be clear, this is a totally unbiased remark--not my liner. We don't carry that pattern. I suspect that the manufacturer/builder would offer a new liner at a reduced price if you wanted to go in that direction. ...or just keep the filter running and you will never notice

Good Luck!

 

[Fgangemi]

Fgangemi said:
Anyone bleach their vinyl liner by accident from chemicals ? Anyway to fix ? This was from biogard smart silk