August and pool is losing water again

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OP,

Do the bucket test, please.

I am curious as to your actual loss measured carefully. Post it back.

ajw22,

A solar cover used every night virtually eliminates any night time loss. Daytime, cover removed, when the temp/dewpoint spread (and wind) is the greatest should yield the most loss from evaporation.

Nevertheless, a 1 inch loss daily in OP's circumstance is a leak. If OP lived in Arizona in the middle of July a 1" daily loss from evaporation is possible but even then, barely.
 
In NJ, I barely lose any water during to evaporation due to this weather. The bucket test will tell the whole story as the water in a bucket will actually be warmer due to the small size of the bucket, included plastic sides sitting in the sun. I am in agreement with Dave, Duraleigh that the bucket test should be done.
 
Bucket test
8am yesterday

outside of bucket 7.75 on ruler inside 9 inches

today 8am 7.25 outside, inside a bit above 9 inches, we did have a shower or so this morning and it supposed to rain all day but will keep posting. I agree that a bucket test is the true test
 
So, that was a half inch loss in 24 hours. I would still believe it is a leak but that is half of what you thought.

I would suggest continuing the test for another 24 hours, simply subtracting any measurable rain that goes in the bucket between now and then.
 
Right, it did not look as much today but I am at bottom of skimmer mouth which was always about when it stopped. I am going to do a bunch of measurements, Unfortunately, I go out to Saratoga for the races, and while it is a great vacation I will be unable to test for 3 days. Unless, I can get the 18 year old to do it reliably which is iffy
 
I agree duraleigh, the pool is old and was not taken care of for years prior to us buying the house. See pictures from other threads to see the black swamp of misery. Not sure about August/September period either but after running the pool since 2013 it has been consistent. I still have a call into the leak specialist hope to hear back soon.
 

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Is it possible that the leak is always there, but just becomes more evident during July and August when it “dries out” and the rainy season slows?
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Certainly. The key I think is to find the leak (assuming it exists and I think it does) and then when it's located, see if it's at an area where expansion and contraction occur to cause it to periodically open and close
 
In your first post, you indicated the water never fell below the skimmer line. Why don't you let it go down to that point again and then see what your loss is?

You have established a 1/2 inch daily loss with water above the skimmer. If it gets to the bottom of the skimmer, and you loss is 1/4 inch or less, you have found the source of your leak.......likely a crack in the skimmer throat or at least you have narrowed it down to a leak at that level.
 
duraleigh said:
In your first post, you indicated the water never fell below the skimmer line. Why don't you let it go down to that point again and then see what your loss is?

You have established a 1/2 inch daily loss with water above the skimmer. If it gets to the bottom of the skimmer, and you loss is 1/4 inch or less, you have found the source of your leak.......likely a crack in the skimmer throat or at least you have narrowed it down to a leak at that level.
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Couldnt you also confirm this without waiting for the water drop by, with the pump having been off for a few hours, dropping a few drops of dye in front of the skimmer and seeing if they are drawn in?
 
Since this only happens at a certain time of the year, then there is no constant. Therefore, need to examine what changes.

Pool Guy may have nailed it w the fact that patches and other can shift due to weather/temp/pressure changes. As in Houston, foundations can shift greatly in the summer when heat is the greatest, water is the least and the clay soils shrink. When it rains and cools off, they rise. this is why the foundation business is big in Houston. In Sandy soils or bedrock, this problem does not exist to the point of quick or seasonal change.

Although evaporation is accelerated in certain conditions of warm water and cooler air, a full inch in 24 hrs w a solar cover sets the record straight. But, if you've ever filled room temp water into an ice tray and put into the freezer, then later to see 1/2 the cube gone, there you go. But this is a max type scenario and the full 1" cubes are not completely evaporated. In a contained environment, the water that evaps hits the solar top, forms droplets and then falls back into the pool = little to no change.

I vote for shifts in pool that is allowing the water to escape via other means even in the contained/Solar top is on. If this does not happen at any other time, then either someone is playing an annual joke on you or [and no offense to OP], or the OP is fundamentally missing the mark on his measurements. What was believed to be 1" was proved to be 1/2" w bucket test. Lord knows he frustrated so sometimes things might be exaggerated. FWIW, trying to troubleshoot something like this over the net too is prob a tough thing to do, but as a community of good people, we are trying our best.

Good luck to rlef and I am certainly jealous of his 60 degree mornings when our lows are 81 and highs 100+ w h-index of 110...
 
I just posted my own thread with a very similar issue here: Finding a strange leak

ajw22 was kind enough to direct me here. I am in Mid-Missouri having the exact same issue. Yes, it is cooler at night right now, but I also lose water just as consistently during the day. A bucket test shows I am losing a little less than 2 inches per day. My leak must be lower because it continues even after falling below the skimmer. I haven't let it get that low this summer, but I did allow it to go lower to close the pool last winter and it leaked for a while after I did. It has been pretty dry here until just recently. I have been wondering if the dry soil has caused this.
 
Strange that it only happens at this time of the year. I also wonder if it has anything to do with not being noticed at other times due to rain.

We have a relatively new pool and have just discovered a leak. We weren’t loosing a noticeable amount of water - maybe an inch a week. We have a subfloor that backs on to the pool though and I spotted a patch of water despite no rain. There has also being bubbles in the boost pump to the heat pump which should have signalled an issue to me. Are you noticing any air in your pump basket? Also we were told to turn everything off for two days to see what happens. The water started to dry up pretty quickly. We’re fairly sure we have a pressure side leak in the hot water return pipe. You could try turning everything off for two days and see if it still drops. Just be sure to keep your levels tested. Perhaps yours is just how your pool behaves in this particular environment but I would definitely be getting in a leak detection company to check it out.
 
Upstate NY here and experiencing very similar behavior as is my neighbor. I do have several patches so that could be it. We both also find it drops more when the level is elevated after a big rain so i may have a leak above the typical waterline.

By the way have you seen this?
7aff824fdac4a372851a4a5532c5e12e.png


1978 all over again?[emoji41]
 

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