I should have been more specific -- for online diagnosis we're looking for sharply focused pictures, more than a megabyte in size, and more than 1600x1200 in resolution. Your picture was about 640x480 and about 160kB. The color differences are visible, but not enough surface detail to even begin to speculate about causes.

Also, it wasn't clear before, but I gather that you are NOT the pool owner, but are rather the pool installer?

In any case:

+ 3 years of good test results are not relevant, if the pool has been in service for 3 years and 3 months . . . and there are 3 months of TERRIBLE test results (ie, salt water). Your good results simply aren't in play, because you have 3 months of BAD results, which is more than enough to damage a pool.

+ I am NOT suggesting that the 3 months are the cause of the problem -- I really have no idea about that. What I am saying is that those 3 months almost certainly let the manufacturer off the hook.

+ If you (as the contractor) are responsible for those 3 months, you have my sympathy. If instead, the pool owner is responsible for those 3 months, I would imagine that that lets both the manufacturer AND you, off the hook.

+ Calcium carbonate scale would be affected by acid, and would be rough. I don't know what you have, but it doesn't sound like calcium scale.

+ Kelley Technical has several blue colors, and (xtra $$'s) custom blend others.

+ I've been involved in servicing a lakeside pool, separated from the lake by a retaining wall. I had to engineer rather elaborate load transfer structures, and then use (60) 50 gallon drums + (9) 330 gallon tote tanks, all filled with lake water, to hold the pool in the ground as we worked. But, that was on a concrete pool, with full gunite + rebar structure. I very much doubt it would work with an FG pool. (Why would you put an FG pool near the ocean? Those pools pop if it rains hard!)

+ If you've worked on ocean front construction, I'd assume you know more about well-pointing and dynamic water level control than I do. It *can* be done, but I have no idea what the cost would be.

+ If you're on the hook for $300K, it sounds like sending a core to a lab would be a reasonable step. With a good lab -- not that I know where to find one -- it wouldn't necessarily need to be a large core.

+ "The best stain brains in the country"? Are there any really knowledgeable "stain brains" in the pool industry? If so, I haven't encountered them. Keep in mind, pool chemical companies DEPEND on pool chemistry mismanagement for their very livelihood. US pool chemical biz is in the $2 billion range. If the majority of pool owners were taught, and attempted to follow, the methods we teach here, that $2 billion would drop by 50% of more. That would bankrupt BOTH Chemtura and Arch -- they are already only marginally profitable businesses.

+ Realistically, the only help you'd have a chance of finding here, is if you could stumble on some pool owner "me-too" experiences, that would allow you to ID possible causes. Toward that end, you'd need to post pool manufacturer info, specific pool model, specific chemical history, AND that high quality photo I asked for. Once you had all that, you'd want to post it here, at TroubleFreePools, and at PoolSpaForum.

BUT . . . this is the WRONG time of the year to do so. Traffic is a small fraction of what it is in May. I'm guessing there may be some similar experiences out there, but your chances of having those pool owners see your post is small in November.


Sorry . . .