Recent content by dpcory

Thanks. I'm still not 100% sure the main drain is leaking - hoping to get to the bottom of that next season. See this thread for the details regarding how I ended up with the expandable plug in the main drain: Main Drain Line Leak I just wanted to be sure if I leave the plug in, there's not...

Can I leave an expansion plug in my main drain over the winter? I'm in Indiana. I suspected a leak in my main drain line this year and decided to blow out the line, then swim down and put an expansion plug in to prevent leakage. I don't think I could airlock the line anyway with the leak in...

I went down and put an expandable plug in the main drain and continued to have water leaking. The crack in the fiberglass panel (shown in the pics linked above) appeared to be the culprit. I pulled off the old patch and put a bunch of A+B epoxy putty to fill the crack all the way down. That...

The pool company doesn't do leak detection themselves - they suggest a leak detection specialist. And they charge $295 per visit. Apparently business is good.

I talked with a pool guy in my area and he suggested going down and putting a black expanding plug in the main drain line to confirm that's where the leak is before going to the trouble of putting a plate over the drain. I'm going to go ahead and do that. Can I just leave that plug in there...

Here are pics of the plaster steps and ladder. I also included a pic of the cracked panel near the steps. https://1drv.ms/f/s!Avizd17_QyPmg4A_Sx_1uYvvBLUjHQ

I am cutting off flow at the equipment pad, have not plugged the main drain yet. I am 99% sure that the leak is in the main drain line because I don't know how else to explain the lack of suction, now that I've confirmed there are no obstructions in the line. I will post some pics of the steps...

I have a 40 year old concrete pool with fiberglass panel walls. I have separate skimmer and main drain lines. The pool is surrounded by a concrete apron and there is also a brick patio (with concrete underlayment) in between the pool and the equipment room. I believe the main drain line is...

Not a dumb question at all. You're probably right and I over-thought it but I am fairly new to this (2nd year closing my pool after buying a new house) and I'm not 100% sure how the MD piping is run. Most likely the MD is the lowest point (rather than the lines running level and then up to the...

I decided to stick the rubber plug in the main drain, blow some air in from the other side with my leaf blower (not sure if this was necessary) and shut the valve. Then the plan was to put some water back in the pool, pull the plug and I would have my air lock. Mostly I was trying to avoid the...

I believe he misunderstood my initial question and thought I was trying to create an air lock with an empty pool. Which is why I clarified what I meant by "blowing out and sealing all of the pipes." So he was saying there would be nothing to hold the air in the main drain line, then when I...

My MD just has a plastic cover on it held on with screws and is off now for the painting. The pipe comes laterally out of the side of the drain unit and with the cover off, I can put a rubber plug in the lateral opening.

Thanks for the responses. Sorry if the question was unclear - when i referenced "blowing out" the pipes, I just meant blowing any remaining water out with a shop vac. The pipes are all essentially empty now. I'm really just curious if there is a difference between 1) filling the pool and...

I just had the floor of my IG gunite pool painted with an epoxy coat and it is currently in the 7-day curing process. I want to take advantage of the fact that it is empty and blow out and seal all of the pipes before I refill the pool. The return lines and skimmer lines are not really any...

Since it's the old black poly pipe with the separate adapters and hose clamps, I thought maybe the problem was just that the clamps had loosened as a result of the heat. I dug down and exposed the pipes all the way down (2 1/2 feet) to where the pipes make a 90 degree turn and tightened the...