Light Wrinkly Liner

[dave.kubiak]

When I put my pool up just last month the liner was dark blue and fairly smooth. Now there is a light spot that is very wrinkly on the bottom. Any idea what that is and if it's something I should be worried about?

 

[JVTrain]

Usually if you have a spot that's faded and wrinkled, that's an indication that undissolved shock products or tablets were sitting on the bottom for a period of time. Trichlor tablets, dichlor shock, cal-hypo shock and even bleach that is dumped on the bottom too quickly can cause fading and wrinkling. Is it in the vicinity of where you have added these products?

 

[dave.kubiak]

Yes. Is it going to be problematic?

 

[JVTrain]

When acidic and high chlorine products like that are allowed to rest on the liner, it fades it and weakens it. The vinyl loses some of its elasticity and can be more prone to cracks and leakage in that area. How much weaker or brittle depends on how much and how long the product sat in place before being dissolved. It could just be an unsightly faded spot with minimal damage to the liner or it could be spot for potential leakage in the near future, depending on the exposure time.

When using powdered products, be sure that they are completely dissolved before leaving them alone. Pre-dissolve in a bucket and/or brush the product around until it's no longer visible.

Trichlor and dichlor shock products are not recommended by TFP for long term or continuous use. They all add stabilizer as well as chlorine, eventually leading to problems maintaining proper sanitation.

Check out ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry and Pool School - How to Chlorinate Your Pool