Leak from return jets

[boogy]

Greetings everyone!
I believe my pool is leaking from where the return jets enter the pool. It is a fiberglass pool. I have attached a couple pics from the eyeball assembly and have a few questions. My concern is there looks to be some separation from the faceplate and the pool wall. Is there supposed to be a gasket sandwiched between there that has deteriorated? Also if I understand correctly, I can use a spanner type wrench to remove the inner ring but that will only allow me to remove the eyeball, is that correct? How would I go about removing or fixing the faceplate to sit flush against the pool wall?

Thanks in advance for your time!

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Boogy, welcome to TFP.
Is this a plaster, fiberglass or vinyl lined pool? Have you noted a drop in water that stopped after the water level got under the return level?

Maddie

 

[boogy]

Thank You YippeeSkippy! It's a fiberglass pool. Over the course of approx. 1 week, we lost about 1 foot of water while we were out of town. Now that the water level is below the return line, I haven't seen anymore water loss which is what leads me to believe its coming from there.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I also have a fiberglass pool and my returns look the same. Hmmmmm. Time for a bucket test methinks?
No wet spots in the yard?? Check around the equipment pad for wet spots. Do you have a dry well spot that you can look inside for water under the pool?

Bucket Test

This is a simple method of leak detection is done by marking water levels on … Read more…

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Look at your backwash hose and see if it has a constant dribble. It can do that sometimes when the O-ring on the multiport valve is frayed and needs replacement.

 

[boogy]

Look at your backwash hose and see if it has a constant dribble. It can do that sometimes when the O-ring on the multiport valve is frayed and needs replacement.

The pool area is all surrounded by concrete so can't really see if there are wet spots but no wet spots near the pump/filter/valve area. I'm thinking of adding water to fill above the return line and doing the dye test to confirm it's leaking from there but if I'm correct, then that water will just eventually leak again and I'm concerned about letting more water leak under the foundation.. Ideally I'd just like to repair the return now while it's above the water level but I'm not exactly sure how involved that replacement is. Since you said you have the same returns, does yours look like there's a gasket between the faceplate and pool wall? Or does the faceplate just sit flush?

 

[boogy]

I am no pool equipment expert so perhaps I can share my thought process to see if I am not understanding things correctly or am missing something. But during the week that we were gone, the pump was turned off so no recirculation took place and we lost about 1 foot of water anyway. So that makes me rule out the pump/filter components. The water level continued dropping well past the skimmer basket so I've also ruled out that. Now that the water level has dropped just below the return lines, the leaking has stopped so that it what leads me to believe that is the culprit.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Gotcha... that's looking that way. Can you also get in and walk around the pool right above the water level and rule out any cracks in the fiberglass?
My returns do not have anything visible such as a gasket. If there was one there its pretty well hidden?
Let me ping in some other folks-
@Texas Splash @mknauss @1poolman1

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Stairs! Sometimes the stairs are under supported and look there for a crack also, please.

 

[mknauss]

To my knowledge, there is nothing that can be done to those connections without also having access to the outside of the shell. I would definitely not unscrew anything that could release the line from the outside of the shell. The faceplate I believe can be unthreaded if you wish. I would check with @1poolman1 for his view.

 

[1poolman1]

To my knowledge, there is nothing that can be done to those connections without also having access to the outside of the shell. I would definitely not unscrew anything that could release the line from the outside of the shell. The faceplate I believe can be unthreaded if you wish. I would check with @1poolman1 for his view.

Virtually everything that penetrates the shell has the shell "sandwiched" between the interior and exterior parts. You never want to un-thread something connected to plumbing without access to both sides. Even the backfill can/will exert pressure on the plumbing and it could move too much to refit the interior portion.

 

[boogy]

Thank you all for your replies, your help is very much appreciated! @1poolman1 I noticed you're in Sacramento. I'm in Fairfield, do you have anyone you could recommend to come take a look at it? Just my luck this would happen on the hottest weekend of the year so far.

 

[1poolman1]

Thank you all for your replies, your help is very much appreciated! @1poolman1 I noticed you're in Sacramento. I'm in Fairfield, do you have anyone you could recommend to come take a look at it? Just my luck this would happen on the hottest weekend of the year so far.

Since he water is well below the return fitting in your picture, it may be a leak somewhere else, like the maindrain plumbing or even the light conduit. If you let it continue it will stop at the level of the leak, but that's not recommended with a fiberglass pool.
You can remove the collar that holds the "eyeball" without problem to see if there are any leaks you may find. More likely you will need a leak-detection company to find the leak. There are several in the area, but very busy this time of year.

 

[boogy]

Since he water is well below the return fitting in your picture, it may be a leak somewhere else, like the maindrain plumbing or even the light conduit. If you let it continue it will stop at the level of the leak, but that's not recommended with a fiberglass pool.
You can remove the collar that holds the "eyeball" without problem to see if there are any leaks you may find. More likely you will need a leak-detection company to find the leak. There are several in the area, but very busy this time of year.

The drain and light are still well below the waterline and it's been a couple days now that I haven't noticed any water loss. Thanks again for your input, looks like I'll have to call someone.

 

[boogy]

Just a quick follow up and also say thank you to everyone who offered help. I had a leak detection company come out and their equipment suggested that there was a leak somewhere in the main drain. I was able to remove the drain covers (with the help of my wife holding me underwater, sure she loved that) and plug the drains as well as the drain return to the skimmer. It's been holding level for a few days now so hopefully that works. Thanks gain everyone!!