I want to find this leak before I add 7-800# of salt. Have air pressure tested all underground lines and they are ok. Cannot find a tear in the liner it was replaced 2 years ago. My pool is IG vinyl lined 20x40. When PB did liner he put a set of plastic molded steps in the shallow end. They were bolted to the aluminum walls and about two tons of concrete poured around the bracing. His son sealed the edges of the "clamping" strip that goes over the vinyl with a cheap kitchen and bath caulk. I am a builder by trade and complained to him at the time because I though a better quality caulk should have been used, mainly because submerged in water forever. He said don't worry about it. So yesterday he said that there is no way that the stairs are leaking that wouldn't happen for 10-15 years. He also said a 500 gallon a day leak would be a very small slit in the vinyl approx. 3/4 inch long. Does this sound right? Would that $40.00 a bottle Fix a leak the PB wants to sell me be worthwhile. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
500 gallon a day leak
- Thread starter bestlandlord
- Start date
You know, I read somewhere, maybe even here where some lady said the way she found her leak was to throw a few paper towels in the water. The leak suction pulled the paper towels toward it.
So, if you aren't finding a super wet area in your yard - greener grass or something that might be a clue to the area, you might want to give that a try.
Also, if your pump is off, and you are in the water, you might go under water and try to listen. Sometimes you can hear a leak, I'm told.
One other thing - 500 gallons in your pool, what does that measure to per day like an inch drop, 2 inches?
Here in Arizona where it is arid, it's not uncommon to get 1/3 of an inch or more a day just from evaporation.
So, if you aren't finding a super wet area in your yard - greener grass or something that might be a clue to the area, you might want to give that a try.
Also, if your pump is off, and you are in the water, you might go under water and try to listen. Sometimes you can hear a leak, I'm told.
One other thing - 500 gallons in your pool, what does that measure to per day like an inch drop, 2 inches?
Here in Arizona where it is arid, it's not uncommon to get 1/3 of an inch or more a day just from evaporation.
Have you compared the water loss with the pump on and with the pump off? A common leak is a bad spider gasket allowing water to run out the waste line while the multiport is set to other positions, and if you have a plumbed waste line you'll never see it.
You say you checked the lines but let me throw out one other idea. I had a polaris unit and was having the same sort of water loss, it turned out there was a crack in the fitting behind the pool wall where the polaris pressure line attached. I ended up plugging the line and switched to a blue pearl cleaner - problem solved.
Kinguni
0
I had a leak about that size last year. Had a diver out who didn't find any leaks so i assumed it was plumbing. It turned out to be a tear in the liner behind a return plate, missed by the diver but apparent in the spring when i took the winter cover off as the spot had torn more. Patched it up and no major leak this year.
You can also get a squeeze bottle of food coloring, and get in the pool with it. Make sure the pump is off. Make your way around the sides and periodically 'puff' out a cloud of color toward the walls. If there is a leak nearby, you and everyone topside watching will find it. You can dive to check the bottom, corners, etc. A mask and snorkel helps a lot.
Several years ago we had a big leak. Losing lot's of water daily. Checked all plumbing except the majority under the ground, feared the worst, but when we capped the skimmer, return and main drain, we still lost the same amout of water. I put on a face mask and dove criss cross the entire width of our pool, inspecting the entire floor visually. About 1/2 way through the deep end I found a small slit that was the culprit. Patched it and the water loss stopped.
If you haven't done this, go slow and look at every square inch.
If you haven't done this, go slow and look at every square inch.
Rangeball said:
Just out of curiosity... how do you patch underwater?
Im also gonna say its a slit in the liner, but everyone else has offered good suggestions also.
I recall my uncle having a problem several several years back w/ the drain at the pump somewhere... somehow was leaking out of there and he never knew it as it was tied in w/ the sewer system like was mentioned earlier.
Andy, above water you cut a patch of liner material, slather the backside with adhesive the pool store gave me, fold it over so the adhesive is protected, take a deep breath, dive down, unfold the patch and immediately put in place, push it down, roll it with a small roller working form the inside out then let it set up. Worked like a charm 
Wow, I wasnt aware you could do this with just any type of stuff..
Thanks so I know this later!
Thanks so I know this later!
patching under water
The best way to patch under water is to apply the glue to teh patch, fold teh patch in half (glue onto glue) dive down, apply hte patch, press it down nice and firmly squeezing from center outwards and set a weight on it for curing (might make sens to have the weight down there beside the hole allready)
If it's on a vertical, you will need to press it good with your hand for about 5 minutes.
The best glue to use is Boxer glue so I've been told.
500 Gal a day is quite a lot, I'd hazzard to guess you can find that size slit pretty fast, should be relatively noticeable.
The further down it is the more it will leak (pressure).
The best way to patch under water is to apply the glue to teh patch, fold teh patch in half (glue onto glue) dive down, apply hte patch, press it down nice and firmly squeezing from center outwards and set a weight on it for curing (might make sens to have the weight down there beside the hole allready)
If it's on a vertical, you will need to press it good with your hand for about 5 minutes.
The best glue to use is Boxer glue so I've been told.
500 Gal a day is quite a lot, I'd hazzard to guess you can find that size slit pretty fast, should be relatively noticeable.
The further down it is the more it will leak (pressure).
If you are willing to let the pool drain down a foot or two you can get a pretty good idea of how deep the leak is by graphing the rate of water loss vs the depth of the water. The shallow leaks will lose water slower when the water level goes down a little, deep leaks will lose water nearly as fast when the water level goes down a little.