HELP!!! any assistance with my inground pool leak problem.

[jmcnite]

Any assistance would be great...

I've developed a leak in my pool and can't find where it's coming from. If i fill it up half up the skimmer the next day it at the bottom screws of the skimmer. A few weeks ago i read online and did the test where i plugged both return jets and plugged the skimmer as well. After doing this the water kept leaking down to the skimmer line. I bought a new skimmer face plate and gasket and replace them, then i bought some JB Water Weld and put two tubes of it all around the outside of the skimmer plate. I filled the pool up and everything was great for a week. This past friday nite we went swimming and everything seemed ok. Saturday morning the water level went down 1.5 inches and by the end of the day 2 inches. I did the dye test around the skimmer with the pool pump off and the dye does not float into the skimmer just around it. On an added note my pump is running great, i don't see any bubbles in the box when it's running and i don't see any noticeable problems around the equipment pad. if it helps when i plugged up the skimmer to do the test there was still water in there even though the water from the pool was't flowing into it? I also did the bucket test and i know it's not losing the water due to evaporation. The one thing that is driving me crazy is the fact that i fixed it and it was holding water and then a week later it went back to the way it was? I've been reading on here about folks who have lost water upto the bottom of the skimmer but never see where or what it ended up being that caused or how they fixed the leak? Also it doesn't seem to matter if the pools running or sitting overnite it just keeps losing water? Any help would be great

 

[zea3]

Hi, welcome to TFP! Does it stop leaking at the bottom of the skimmer or is that how low it gets before you fill it up again?

 

[jmcnite]

Hi,

It stops leaking at the bottom of the skimmer, the water level is still 5 inches above the return lines in the wall and roughly 8-9 inches above the pool light. Am i right to assume if it kept leaking under the skimmer line that it could be something else leaking? I'm very confused?

 

[jmcnite]

Also am i safe to assume that since it quits leaking at the bottom of the skimmer plate and i did the test where i plugged the returns and skimmer hole and it continued to leak that i don't have leaks in the return or skimmer lines? What i'm trying to say is that if it stops leaking at the bottom of the skimmer plate does that mean thats 100% where the leak is coming from? My thoughts are if it stops leaking at that point then thats where to focus my attention. I did notice a few hairline cracks on one of my pool steps but the water does not leak to that point so i eliminated that as the culprit. And i did the test where i plugged all of the lines and found that it kept leaking so???

 

[jmcnite]

Any Help???

 

[VikingPoolMan]

I feel your frustration... I hate finding leaks. From my experience, most pool leaks are at the skimmer and/or pool light (or the PVC coming off top of the pool pump). If you have dye tested your skimmer, I would check your pool light next (and pool returns). Take your light fixture out (typically just one screw) and test at the niche behind the fixture (where the light cord goes back through the pool wall). Also, for safe measure, it may be a good idea to put puddy around your skimmer. Another place to check is the main drain... for anything beyond that, someone else with more experience in leak detection would have to chime in. Good luck.

 

[jmcnite]

I took the pool light out last night and did the dye test and there is no leaking in there? I have noticed since I turned the skimmer valve off and have been running off of the main drain that i do see bubbles in the box? The one thing i can't figure out is that the pool has essentially stopped leaking right above the return lines and the light fixture and if it was the main drain pipe at the bottom of the pool wouldn't it continue to leak??? I'm dumb founded??? first 2 days it leaked 4,5,6 inches then the past 2 days it leaks not even a full inch??? ARGGGGGHHHHH!!! LOL

 

[Her pool boy]

I have had a leak in my pool for the following reasons;

- a hole in the vinyl liner
- a crack in the pvc pipe threading at a return jet
- a leaking filter valve to drain
- a faulty casket at the skimmer
- a crack in the housing of a jet

it seems your trouble shooting has isolated the issue to the lowest point of the skimmer line, and therefore would suggest your leak is at that point in the pool. You don't say what type of pool you have but some likely suspects might be a hole in your liner, a crack in your skimmer housing, or connection to your skimmer. Leaks suck, no matter where they are, best to get it fixed sooner than later. Good luck.

 

[jmcnite]

I thought it was the skimmer line as well but this time it's leaked 3 inches past the skimmer???

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Heres what i posted yesterday...

[h=2]I'm Still chasing a leak in my vinyl inground pool...I have thoughts but need help!!![/h]

Hi All,

I posted before about my leak and have some new questions. The first few days my pool will leak 4 to 5 inches...after that it leaks very little? The first time i noticed the leak i did the bucket test and plugged the return lines and the skimmer line (i have one skimmer) i also have a suction drain at bottom of pool. With everything plugged up the water continued to leak right to the bottom of the skimmer plate. I went out and bought a new skimmer plate and gasket and some jb weld (water weld) I installed the Gasket and plate and put the water weld around the plate as well and then filled pool back up and all was good for a week. All of a sudden after a week in a 1 day time frame i lost the 4 to 5 inches of water again. HMMMMMMMMM??? This time i left the skimmer unplugged and the return lines unplugged and the water has dropped to about 3 inches below the skimmer plate the retunr lines and the pool light are still under water. The return lines are just under the water level now and the pool light in still about 4 inches below the water level. The water leak has slowed down drastically in the last day as compared to the first day 4 to 5 inch water loss. What i've ended up doing this time is turning off the valve to the skimmer at the pump and running the pool from the line in the bottom of the pool. I've been trying to figure out where my leak is at this point? Tell me if i'm wrong but since it went 3 inches or so past the bottom of the skimmer and continued to leak then i can say it's not the skimmer line? I also have good flow coming out of the return lines and i have good suction from the bottom of the pool. Also since it's not leaking past the light in the deep end I can say it's not the niche that is leaking? And since the leak has seemed to slow above the return jets i've ruled them out as well. And if it was the pipe going to pump from bottom of the pool was bad wouldnt the water continue to leak out? Any help would be great as I am at a complete loss as to where the leak is? On an added note I did the dye test around the light and the skimmer and the return jets and the bottom of pool and I get nothing as far as it finding a leak source? The vinyl liner is 10+ years old and the pool itself is 20+ years old i've lived in the home for the past 3 summers and everything had been fine until the past two weeks...Any help with this problem would be great?????TY​

 

[VikingPoolMan]

This is why I stopped doing leak detection... it's time-consuming and frustrating. I guess if you have all the right equipment/training, it's easier (neither of which I had)... Maybe it would be worth it to get a leak detection company out there? In any case, if you do find the leak, please let us know. Thanks.

 

[Her pool boy]

How was the winter for you, did you have any freezing? Where I live if you don't winterize your pipes you may get a crack. There is a return line from your skimmer that maybe a issue if there was any freezing over the winter and water was left in the pipes, or the skimmer. That may not be the issue in your case. if the water stopped leaking, and settled at a level. The leak is at that level. Your skimmer housing goes quite a bit below your skimmer casket line so still might be the source of your leak. Your trouble shooting will eventual give you the information, and it might be something you can fix yourself, or it might be something you need a professional to repair.

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This is why I stopped doing leak detection... it's time-consuming and frustrating. I guess if you have all the right equipment/training, it's easier (neither of which I had)... Maybe it would be worth it to get a leak detection company out there? In any case, if you do find the leak, please let us know. Thanks.

Good advice...