Liner Wrinkle and something in the water, help!

[IronMan13]

Hey all! We are on our 2nd season with our vinyl liner pool. We noticed a few weeks ago that some significant wrinkles had formed on our tanning ledge. We took a picture and sent it to the pool builder, they sent a couple of guys out who had no idea and said they would need to send someone else out. Well no one else ever came out and instead they contacted the liner mfg (Latham) and just got back to me yesterday saying that Latham said the wrinkles were due to "heat absorption" and that it wasn't covered by warranty and there was nothing we could do.....


Has anyone ever heard of that before? I guess if thats the case it is what it is, but I don't feel like they've done enough diligence to prove or deny that claim.... how do they know that water hasn't somehow gotten behind the liner? Just looking for some suggestions and feedback on that response and/or anything else it could be.

My 2nd thing is our water is clear when you look at it during the day but when night hits and we have the lights on you see all kinds of particles floating in the water

Link to video that shows it better VID_20220715_214141.mp4
anyone know what would cause that? as far as i can tell all my levels are fine and like i said the water is clear all the way to the bottom when looking at it during the day.

thanks!

 

[Texas Splash]

Not really surprised about the particles at night. It's always easier to see that stuff at night. The more important issue are those wrinkles and Latham's comment about heat absorption. For that I'd prefer to ask an expert like @jimmythegreek. Standby .............

 

[Newdude]

So you've discovered my 24k gallon (for you) turbidity test.

Floaties, as I like to call them, could mean you need more filtering, or the same amount of time filtering at a higher speed to push more water through the filter in the same time.

It could also mean it was windy before, or yesterday, and the floaties haven't been sucked out and trapped in the filter yet.

It's pretty much a never ending battle and if the water is clear but with random floaties, it's the wind.

 

[otter86753]

You have a sand filter which can only filter down to 30-40 microns. I also have a sand filter and to get rid of the floaties, I use a cellulose fiber to filter down to 2 microns (I'm not certain of this, but this is what the industry touts). I can tell you that at night, when I use cellulose fiber, I have very little to no floaties. Use the recommended amount for your filter size and watch your pressure if you use it as you will need to backwash more frequently in the initial few uses.

 

[jimmythegreek]

It's almost impossible to get a perfect fit on something like that. I get asked often for ledges and I won't do them in vinyl. Stair over liners are hard enough to keep tight and fitted. The only way to try to settle that out would be a drain and a stretch which may help but it's going to matter how tight it was from the start and how tight the bottom edges are below and above the ledge

 

[1poolman1]

Hey all! We are on our 2nd season with our vinyl liner pool. We noticed a few weeks ago that some significant wrinkles had formed on our tanning ledge. We took a picture and sent it to the pool builder, they sent a couple of guys out who had no idea and said they would need to send someone else out. Well no one else ever came out and instead they contacted the liner mfg (Latham) and just got back to me yesterday saying that Latham said the wrinkles were due to "heat absorption" and that it wasn't covered by warranty and there was nothing we could do.....
View attachment 438105

Has anyone ever heard of that before? I guess if thats the case it is what it is, but I don't feel like they've done enough diligence to prove or deny that claim.... how do they know that water hasn't somehow gotten behind the liner? Just looking for some suggestions and feedback on that response and/or anything else it could be.

My 2nd thing is our water is clear when you look at it during the day but when night hits and we have the lights on you see all kinds of particles floating in the water
View attachment 438109
Link to video that shows it better VID_20220715_214141.mp4
anyone know what would cause that? as far as i can tell all my levels are fine and like i said the water is clear all the way to the bottom when looking at it during the day.

thanks!

The debris that shows in the light are called "fines." Its the stuff that either hasn't been filtered yet or is too small to be trapped by a filter. To one extent or another they will always be there. Fine dust is falling into your pool 24/7.

If you have a strong flashlight, go into a completely dark room and turn it on. You wil see the same effect.

 

[IronMan13]

It's almost impossible to get a perfect fit on something like that. I get asked often for ledges and I won't do them in vinyl. Stair over liners are hard enough to keep tight and fitted. The only way to try to settle that out would be a drain and a stretch which may help but it's going to matter how tight it was from the start and how tight the bottom edges are below and above the ledge

So you are thinking its just "natural" wrinkling thats happening and not an indication of some larger issue like a tear/leak and water getting behind the liner?

 

[IronMan13]

Talked to our pool builder today. Latham initially said there was nothing they could do because it wasn't a warranty issue. Pool builder kept talking with them and they let me know today that Latham decided to go ahead and replace the liner for us as a courtesy they were very adamant that it wasn't being replaced due to a warranty issue and are only doing it as a courtesy. Which is weird to me but whatever, we are getting a new liner! Pool builder said they'd give us a discount installing it too. They normally charge about $3500 to replace a liner and would do it for $1500.

Now we just need to decide if we want to hold onto the liner and get some more use out of the current one or go ahead and swap it out, which was an option/suggestion by the pool builder.

 

[1poolman1]

Talked to our pool builder today. Latham initially said there was nothing they could do because it wasn't a warranty issue. Pool builder kept talking with them and they let me know today that Latham decided to go ahead and replace the liner for us as a courtesy they were very adamant that it wasn't being replaced due to a warranty issue and are only doing it as a courtesy. Which is weird to me but whatever, we are getting a new liner! Pool builder said they'd give us a discount installing it too. They normally charge about $3500 to replace a liner and would do it for $1500.

Now we just need to decide if we want to hold onto the liner and get some more use out of the current one or go ahead and swap it out, which was an option/suggestion by the pool builder.

If you store a vinyl liner for too long, it will become brittle and the folds (creases) will take a set. May not be able to install with out damage when the time comes. That's why most liners, even for package-pools with standard measurements, are shipped as soon as they are made. Never installed one, but had a good friend who did. Told me all the "horror" stories.

 

[IronMan13]

If you store a vinyl liner for too long, it will become brittle and the folds (creases) will take a set. May not be able to install with out damage when the time comes. That's why most liners, even for package-pools with standard measurements, are shipped as soon as they are made. Never installed one, but had a good friend who did. Told me all the "horror" stories.

thanks! thats good to know! I asked the pool builder when i talked to him today if there would be any issues storing the liner for several years and he said "no". I was planning on storing it in the basement so it would at least stay temp and humidity controlled. my wife likes the idea of getting more years out of the current liner but is also concerned about the new one having an issue out of the box and not finding that out until years later when it was installed.