Service Providers Forum

Air bubble under liner
poolpatioporch - 4-9-10 at 12:27 PM

I have a customer that has about a cubic foot of air trapped under the liner in the middle of the shallow end of the pool. I have worked the bubble to the edge of the wall and it has bubbled out sucessfully, leaving a few wrinkles that we quickly worked out. Two weeks later the bubble is back again.

I have never seen an air bubble under the liner before. What caused this?

The pool has a concrete bottom, and the liner is about four years old. Leak Trac did not show ANY holes.

Any solutions?

reedpool - 4-9-10 at 02:02 PM

I have had lots of customers tell me they had air bubbles but they all turned out to be water from a leak in either the liner or the plumbing. If this is really air it is a new one to me.

windsorleakdetection - 7-10-10 at 07:11 PM

The water pressure should be greater than the air pressure and not allowing air under the liner. I have never seen air under a liner, It's mostlikely water.

vinylboy - 24-10-10 at 11:06 AM

I have had the same issue with a bubble on the shallow end floor. I use to think bubble under the liner was 100% sighn of water but I was wrong it was air. We were able to cut it out. The liner we were working on was only 2yr old but had deffinate chemical damage.

bruce - 18-2-11 at 09:11 AM

I have seen air trapped under the liner 6 times over 30 years still not sure how it got there. but it was air not water u would think water pressure would push it out. It is always in the middle of shallowend floor trapped and if I push it out you think its gone but its not. Try floating the liner with water enough to lift shallowend floor and then remove the water from behind the liner air should be gone. Done this before works great

Poolman - 21-2-11 at 11:32 AM

Could this be gas from rotting vegetation buried by pool builders ?

brrscuba - 21-2-11 at 12:17 PM

This was discussed and confirmed by a liner mfg, yes it is decaying vegetation that can create methane gas, when you work the bubble to the side be CERTAIN that you are not smoking, methane is extremely explosive
Bruce
poolrepairdiver.com

Poolman - 22-2-11 at 12:00 PM

If you're smoking when working in a liner pool you ought to be shot! :D

bruce - 24-2-11 at 06:15 PM

I don't beleve its m gas. Who is the liner mfg. How do they know? this problem has happened in one of our pools 3years old. Our vinly pools have 4to 5in gunite with a 1 2 in finish coat I ask. Where do u think it comes from?

brehmcon - 24-2-11 at 08:27 PM

It seems according to this paper that the methane molecule is small enough to pass through PVC under the right conditions ,so I'm assuming it can also get through gunite and plaster. Need a sample to test that assumption.



https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/tstark/website/Journal_Papers/JP54.pdf

bruce - 25-2-11 at 09:30 AM

May have to wait years but if I see it again I will test the air or gas