Hi all, I am brand new to the forum, but have been lurking for a few months. A couple months ago we bought a house that has a 14x32 in ground pool. Following the basics here, I got the pool open and an algae problem under control. A major problem crept up this week and I am looking for some advice.
I am currently out of town for a business trip and my wife has been taking care of the pool. She noticed the chlorine levels were dropping and I had her check the chlorinator located on the return side of the pump and told her to add chlorine from the buckets in the garage. Initially, she added about a 1 cup scoop of granulated chlorine. I told her she got the wrong chlorine and she went back and added a tab. The next morning she went out and the pool was down 1 foot. After some quick troubleshooting over the phone, we determined the leak appeared to be coming from the jet return line at the pump and I had her move the return valve to waterfall only. This stopped the leak at the pump. I assumed she leaned on the return line and broke sealant and planned on fixing it when I returned. She also turned the suction line from skimmer to skimmer and drain. The next day, the pool was even lower. More troubleshooting and it appears we are still losing water at the jets return line, with the pump off, the water loss stopped at the jets. This has been consistent for two days.
With all that said, could the chemical she added have sat in the return line and corroded through the pvc or eaten through the glue? I am not familiar with any pool chemicals that could react this way, but that is the only plausible explanation at this point. I will follow up with the exact chemical, or at least what is labeled on the bucket.
My plan forward is to dig up the return line from the pump to the pool and plan on a full replacement. I also considered a USB fiberoptic camera running back from the pool side to try and isolate the leak. Any advice on locating and repairing? Thanks for any and all the help!
I am currently out of town for a business trip and my wife has been taking care of the pool. She noticed the chlorine levels were dropping and I had her check the chlorinator located on the return side of the pump and told her to add chlorine from the buckets in the garage. Initially, she added about a 1 cup scoop of granulated chlorine. I told her she got the wrong chlorine and she went back and added a tab. The next morning she went out and the pool was down 1 foot. After some quick troubleshooting over the phone, we determined the leak appeared to be coming from the jet return line at the pump and I had her move the return valve to waterfall only. This stopped the leak at the pump. I assumed she leaned on the return line and broke sealant and planned on fixing it when I returned. She also turned the suction line from skimmer to skimmer and drain. The next day, the pool was even lower. More troubleshooting and it appears we are still losing water at the jets return line, with the pump off, the water loss stopped at the jets. This has been consistent for two days.
With all that said, could the chemical she added have sat in the return line and corroded through the pvc or eaten through the glue? I am not familiar with any pool chemicals that could react this way, but that is the only plausible explanation at this point. I will follow up with the exact chemical, or at least what is labeled on the bucket.
My plan forward is to dig up the return line from the pump to the pool and plan on a full replacement. I also considered a USB fiberoptic camera running back from the pool side to try and isolate the leak. Any advice on locating and repairing? Thanks for any and all the help!
