newbie with a question

[karmazrevenge]

I have a problem that I could use some guidance with...

My abg pool liner has a leak that I just cannot find. I know it's the liner because the water hasn't been at skimmer level for about a week, and I'm still losing water. I am losing about 1/4 - 1/2 inch of water per day, more when it's really sunny (evaporation I assume). I got in with goggles and dive gear and checked every single seam, every spot, basically everything I could think of and found nothing. I checked the walls and even pulled the steps to look under them. Nothing.

Next I tried using the food coloring trick (it's supposed to get sucked down the hole in the liner, allowing you to see where the problem lies). Nada.

I'm financially crunched right now, and there's no way I can afford to have someone come out and use the sonar thingy (real technical term I know! lol). In the meantime, I've noticed that the cove has all but disappeared around the bottom, and there are huge dips in the bottom where I guess feet have pushed into the sand.

I'm thinking it's time to get a new liner and maybe put down some gorilla padding and the foam cove. I won't be able to do that until spring, so how to I support the pool walls in the meantime??? I can't keep putting water in the pool if it's just going to leak back out...and I can't patch a hole that I can't find.

Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.

 

[duraleigh]

Have you allowed the water to leak down until it stops?

1/4 " daily is fairly normal through evaporation....if it's really a half inch, that would almost surely be a leak in your climate.

 

[Leak Specialist]

A bucket test will tell you how much evaporation you actually have going on.

In extremely humid climates such as Alabama we rarely lose that much to evaporation, 1/8" being more common and less not unheard of.

Food coloring will not work unless you are really close to the leak.

The "sonar thingy" haha! (Leak Track) is borderline useless and I will sell you mine cheap, it no longer has a place in any of my work vehicles.

Im guessing you have pinholes, ants are bad about chewing liners here.

Good luck, Karma.

 

[karmazrevenge]

Duraleigh - I haven't let it drain til it stops. The water's at the halfway mark now and I got worried about the pool wall stability. Is it safe to go ahead and let it drain itself to a stopping point?

Leak Specialist - I actually have tried the bucket test (thanks for reminding me!!). The water in the bucket lost a lot less than the pool did. I guess ants are a possibility...never thought of that.

 

[duraleigh]

Is it safe to go ahead and let it drain itself to a stopping point?

I am not as well versed as I should be on AG pools but surely it would be fine to drain within 6 inches of the bottom. Let others chime in to confirm before doing so.

 

[Leak Specialist]

Duraleigh - I haven't let it drain til it stops. The water's at the halfway mark now and I got worried about the pool wall stability. Is it safe to go ahead and let it drain itself to a stopping point?

Leak Specialist - I actually have tried the bucket test (thanks for reminding me!!). The water in the bucket lost a lot less than the pool did. I guess ants are a possibility...never thought of that.

I would not let it drain out.

My advise is to fill it back up, get it crystal clear, refill your scuba tank and try not to go cross eyed looking at the same pattern over and over.

 

[duraleigh]

Yeah, if it's ants, it would no doubt drain too low. Unless you are experiencing some significant erosion under or around the pool, the excess water costs are likely VERY low until you can find the source.

 

[linen]

At 1/4-1/2"/day, that would take a long time to let it leak down, so that does not seem real practical. I would check the cove areas closely if the sand has eroded there which may cause the liner to be overstretched/overstressed in that area. How old is the liner?

 

[karmazrevenge]

Linen, the liner is three years old and was bought on the cheap. I'm pretty sure it's the thinnest you can buy.

Duraleigh and Leak Specialist, at this point I'm afraid it's a losing battle. The water is now losing almost an inch a day, and we still haven't located a hole or a leak. We put a patch on a spot we thought might be it, but it hasn't stopped the water loss (guess that wasn't it!).

My husband thinks we should just bite the bullet and buy a new liner. I'm ok with that, but it's October and already getting cold here in SW VA; I thought the liner needed warmer days to stretch? Our other option is to brace the pool walls from the inside (my husband wants to use lumber wrapped in foam on the ends) and wait until spring.

Any experience with the gorilla pad and foam coves? We're seriously thinking of getting them for the new liner.