Pool liner inground

Have been working with group in other forum as have a chlorine demand issue .Have now a second issue which was suggested post here as you are better suited to answer.Inground 16x32 with vinyl liner ,DE and Heater located in Pa. Pool is 22 years old with this liner about 10.On chlorine . They had me on the BBB method and was applying about 4-5 (1.42 gal) 6% every 3 hours to break demand and was doing this for a day. Since low on PH and high on alkalinity they suggested to aerate by pointing the eye ball return to the surface. I had done the shock (powder triple shock about a week before on same three hour cycle with no favorable results.
I normally do not use a eye ball return as had issues previously when using it that it appears it creates a back pressure due to restriction and pushed water between line and wall.My memory must have been short as think this is what happened again.Pool has a vermiculite hard bottom . When I took cover off two days ago saw my 10 year old liner badly wrinkled . So
1.Water behind it
2.Could bleach have damaged
3 just getting old
When I push on the wrinkles they appear to be water and will move . I have opened up my liner and installed a vacuum and have sucked out about 25-30 gals and it is getting better but the process of getting water is slowing down.

So what is your thoughts. Do you agree it must be water as prior to this my liner was extremely tight and it has been a very dry spring-summer so far ? With the vermiculite bottom will not over time the water leach back into the ground? Any other suggestion or recommendation? Do you agree the bleach was not the issue or should I have any concern here?

I expect today to get results back on a chlorine demand test which will tell me what next on it and a partial drain might be a requirement.Hate to pool liner as with it being 10 years old and the print disappearing it will need replaced soon .

Wait your response

Can anybody help here?

Lots of reads Watermom but no responses. It is getting better as the wrinkles have been getting smaller thus pretty sure it was the water .Not back to normal but improving .Tried the toilet plunger but no luck .

Guess I missed another post. Sorry. The chlorine would not have damaged the liner like that but low pH tends to soften the vinyl I think. On the eyeball, they do present some restriction but if water is getting behind the liner due to this you have a leak in the plumbing possibly at the return jet joint. I've had issues with water leaking behind that 4 screw cover plate that pinches the liner. Took the plate off and squished a bunch of silicone seal behind the liner and put the plate back. Did this under water and it forms a nice gasket. The eyeball is actually in the pipe and the leak path I described should have nothing to do with backpressure. Whether water drains away depends on the soil. Had a leak at the deep end years ago and was losing about 40 gallons per hour and it went somewhere and didn't cause the liner to float.

For aeration you may try making a fountain from PVC pipe and fittings. The thread at the eyeball is usually 1.5" so a trip to Lowes of Home Depot and a few bucks for pipe and fittings you can make a couple fountains to shoot water into the air. Lot more effective than aiming eyeballs at the surface.

Hope this helps.
Al

I'm scanning to try to check all the posts before I have to go to bed, but it sounds like a ground water issue (the wrinkles) :(

I should only have to work 1/2 the day tomorrow and will revisit this with my thoughts/ opinions :)

That would be great if you would, Ted. This poster had been hoping for some help with this problem for quite awhile now. Thanks, buddy!

I'm back, longer day than I expected (didn't have to work after all, but helped my good friends and neighbors pack up the moving truck for 11 hours)

I gotta admit that with a dry spring ground or surface water doesn't seem likely :( But, a leak from one of the (or the only) return fitting, behind the liner doesn't make any sense at all - the water would be pushed through the vermiculite before the liner has had a chance to begin to wrinkle.

It's gotta be water in the ground, pushing the liner around! A couple good downpours with ~impermeable soil would result in such an issue.

Your liner shouldn't be so faded after a short 10 years - unless it was "NUKED" with chlorine or left as an acid bath for a prolonged period :confused:

As long as the liner is still whole and viable, you can use your wall brush to push the wrinkles towards the walls as the water underneath subsides. If you still have wrinkles, the only way I know of to remove them is to take down the water to ~ 2" in the affected area and manually work them out (there are a couple different ways to achieve this). You're basically resetting the liner. However, with a 10 year old liner in the faded condition you describe, I'm not sure you won't do more harm than good :mad:

If you can live with the wrinkles, do so for now and save up for a new liner. Not the most encouraging advice, but that's the best I can do.

Please feel free to ask of me any questions you have on this subject.