Cracks in the pool

[Mizfunkalot]

We have an inground pool with 2 cracks going down the sides. The pool has a leak or leaks. We discovered the leak because it was loosing water at a much faster rate than normal. It was more than evaporation. After speaking to a professional, my husband who usually fixes everything decided to break open the concrete to see if the dirt around the plumbing was wet. It wasn't, we did notice that the water stopped going down right below the light, so he kept on digging. He found a leak right behind the light, and patched it with that epoxy putty stuff that we bought at the pool store. Its two tubes. Then he filled the pool and again, we lost more water. We were devastated. He thinks its those 2 cracks now. Yesterday a professional came over to look at it and gave my husband 3 options. One included breaking the plaster around the cracks amd fixing it which would cost 2500! Wow, is that normal? That is very expensive! Another involves rubbing candle wax in the cracks. Apparently it is a trick of the trade. My husband, who is now desperate and wants to let his family enjoy the pool this summer did it. Then he filled up the pool (it was only half way filled). This is supposed to hold for a few months. Has anybody ever heard of this? Will the excess wax floating around the pool ruin the filter if we run it? Also, would it be smart to just let the water sit for 24 hours and mark it to see how far down it goes? Please give me any steps you may know on how to identify the problem.

 

[cowboycasey]

you can do a bucket test to see if its evaperation... place a 5 gallon bucket on 1 of your steps fill to the same level your pool is at... watch for 24 hours... both levels should be the same.. if not your still losing water someplace..

2500 for fixing your pool correctly sound like a great deal how much water are you losing a month x months not fixed = how much money

did they do a dye test to make sure the cracks is where it leaking?

 

[zea3]

For the bucket test the water doesn't have to be the same inside and outside the bucket. Just mark the starting water level inside the bucket and place it on a step in the pool. Then mark the water level on the outside of the bucket. Let it sit for 24 hours then mark the new water levels inside and outside. Measure the area between the marks. If the outside marks are greater than the inside then you may have a leak. If the measurements are close to equal (within 1/4") then the lose is due to evaporation.

You would need to determine if the cracks go all the way through the plaster and into the gunite shell or not. Did the pool guy do a dye test on the cracks? The dye test would show dye getting sucked into the cracks if that is the source of a leak. Do you have a main drain and was it checked for leaks? Do you have a sand filter? Another possible source of leaks is the waste line on the sand filter.

One way to help identify a leak is to let the pool leak down until it stops, however if you have a main drain and that is the problem you would lose all your water! If the main drain is ok you can try letting the pool leak until it stops, then look for the leak just above the water line.

 

[cowboycasey]

For the bucket test the water doesn't have to be the same inside and outside the bucket. Just mark the starting water level inside the bucket and place it on a step in the pool. Then mark the water level on the outside of the bucket. Let it sit for 24 hours then mark the new water levels inside and outside. Measure the area between the marks. If the outside marks are greater than the inside then you may have a leak. If the measurements are close to equal (within 1/4") then the lose is due to evaporation.

thanks for that info, makes sense