Floating Vinyl Liner.

[Dahnke82]

After putting the issue on hold for a couple of weeks, I'm back on the drawing board. I attempted my own leak test with dye colorant and a syringe, but nothing around the suspected area (skimmer) was sucked in when I dispensed some dye out. I'm not sure what to do next. Would it even be worth testing other areas of the pool and any tips? The whole pool, everywhere or is that even a viable option for someone with zero experience checking pool leaks? I've gotten one quote of $400 for pool leak detection, but curious if there's any other insight or tips I could try or seek out? This is the new bane of my existence. Also, what type of contraption is recommended for sucking water out of the liner on my own, a ShopVac? If so, how am I using that to get the water out? Would I need a water transfer pump instead? In the end it all comes down to money, and I feel like I am just throwing money away rather than getting anything fixed and nobody is giving me any real answers because it's been extremely difficult finding people who deal with vinyl liners. Please throw me any DIY help you think might help or if I just need to pay this guy $400 to do the leak detection?

Thanks.

 

[sande005]

If the guy is doing electronic leak detection, it may be worth it. I had it done several years ago, and they found the three pinholes right away that were causing my leaks. Because it was a pool company, and pretty much all anyone installs in this region is vinyl, they were prepared and slapped patches on for a couple hundred more. That got me through a season where I could save up for the new liner the next spring.
In your case, there is a chance that they find the liner and plumbing is whole, and the water is coming from somewhere else - but at least you're eliminating possibilities. Anything else may just end up entailing randomly throwing $$ at it, and hoping...

 

[YippeeSkippy]

The area around the Cleveland TX got 13" of rain in 10 hours during that last big rain. I suspect the ground water is still pretty saturated there? I wonder if you can dig a hole down as deep as the pool and see if you're hitting water at a short way down?

Maddie

 

[Dahnke82]

I have a leak detection guy coming out this Friday. I changed the spider gasket in the mpv two days ago and ran the pump yesterday and this morning. On my lunch break today, I went home and my water level went down again after refilling it last night to attempt shocking and cleaning the pool water. There has been a large bubble in the pump basket area so I’m assuming a suction side air leak. I noticed water consistently trickling from the coupling at the pump from the pool…while that’s Proly the cause of the current air leak, that couldn’t possibly be the reason water got behind the liner, right? There is still a leak in the pool somewhere in order for that to happen, right? All signs are pointing to the skimmer faceplate but we’ll see on Friday.

As for the suction side leak, would yall recommend I get those large pliers I dunno what they’re called, and tighten the screw on part? If so, how tight?

 

[Dahnke82]

I have a video too but dunno how to upload it.

 

[Dahnke82]

To anyone brave enough to still be reading this far into this drawn out post, I went ahead and opened the filter to clean out all the grids, cause I didn't know until last night (in research) that if the psi was too high, cleaning the filter grids would likely lower it. Well, I did just that when I got home from work last night. I dismantled the DE filter and washed out the grids, put everything back together, put pool lube around the filter gasket as well as the pump lid o-ring and psi has been at a consistent 10ppm from 25ppm after installing new spider gasket three nights ago.

Alas, this morning I finally woke up to a clear pool. I had changed out 4 DE filter grids that had holes in them that I suspected were causing the DE from the skimmer to pump, divert back into the pool from the return jets. I believe that is now fixed but will vacuum up the remaining sediment from the pool this afternoon.

This issue doesn't have anything to do with the liner leak, though, right? Like, that issue couldn't have caused the liner to float and to cause water to leak underneath it, right? I think that issue is around the skimmer plate. But now that the other issue is resolved, I feel better about the leak detection guy coming Friday, cause now the water will be clear and the secondary issue at the pump, has been resolved now. Hopefully both things make it easier to detect the internal leak....

Thoughts are welcomed and appreciated.

 

[Dahnke82]

Latest update:

Took a water sample in for an analysis and it came back light years better than anticipated. But yall please be the judges of that in your expertise. Have attached the report.

One thing I’ve noticed is that there’s consistent algae buildup on the sides of the pool. But now that overall pressure is stabilized, I’m gonna vacuum what has been sitting there for several days that it clouded up n got green, if it returns back into the pool this time or not. I have a feeling I got it right and the DE wont settle back into the pool. But…we shall see very very soon.

 

[Barry321]

How is that patio on your feet? Seems like that would be a bit uncomfortable. But that's only based on a picture.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Re: that air bubble iin your pump basket-

 

[Dahnke82]

How is that patio on your feet? Seems like that would be a bit uncomfortable. But that's only based on a picture.

Do you mean where the pump and filter are? I wear shoes when I am in that area. It’s not the patio. It’s on the side of the house and it’s not really on a slab like it should be. It’s a hot mess.

As I was vacuuming the water started to leak considerably. But this time it was due to the gasket from the filter somehow coming out and one of the two bolts looked like it over tightened but the back was open and water was just gushing out for a very long time and I hadn’t noticed cause I had headphones on. First time I wear headphones while doing anything pool related. All that water went out to the street I noticed. I lost several inches of water. I put everything back together and resituated the o ring around the metal ring that goes between the top of the filter and the body. Refilled the pool and it’s going. Part of the liner in the shallow end popped out. Could this be the cause of the water getting behind the liner or wouldn’t it have to be an actual leak from the liner? Likely the suspected skimmer area. I learned how to really get the liner lock and the liner wedged into the track securely so redid that, but there’s still all that water behind the liner from several weeks ago. Leak detector guy will be here Friday. Pool is looking great right now despite the leak, or much better than it has been lately. I believe the new spider gasket is working good now and not diverting de back…