Leak in vinyl liner - what steps should we take?

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wanjayne

wanjayne

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LifeTime Supporter
Jun 16, 2012
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Wichita, KS
We just removed cover and in the process of adding water to begin opening process of testing, treating, clearing, balancing etc. It became obvious we’ve got a leak somewhere. We’ve not started the system yet so Pretty sure it’s in the liner, but honestly, I don’t have a clue where to start. Should we go ahead and start running the pump, getting the water clear so we can at least get past the green swamp stage and better see what’s going on? Or is there something else we should do first? This is the 10th year. Last year we had a few small areas where the liner had separated from the bead which we had repaired. We did remove all the winter plugs so water has passively entered the pipes. It appears to me we’ve lost maybe a couple of inches just today. Pleases share your thoughts and advice.
 

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Does the water stop at a certain point? In previous posts I’ve seen with liner related issues it’s not uncommon for the skimmer or light niche to be the culprit. In these situations the water stops just below the skimmer or the light niche when it’s leaking.
 
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Do you recall the water level when you took the cover off? If so that’s the level you would be looking around for the leak at.
Since you’ve filled back up already you would start the equipment & then the
SLAM Process to clear the pool so you or anyone you hire can see what’s going on.
See👇 for specific details
www.google.com

Leak Detection

A number of things can cause leaks in your pool. You can learn tricks for leak detection and how to pinpoint where your pool is losing water.
www.google.com www.google.com
 
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The attached photo shows the water line right after we removed the cover. The light niches were still under water at this point. Did we jump the gun by removing the winter plugs and allowing the water into the pipes? Should we cap all the intakes and returns and let the leak continue until it stops? I so appreciate you sharing your thoughts on how to proceed.
 

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Capping everything again may tell you whether the leak is confined to the pool itself (liner, skimmers, lights, drain, returns). If it stops, but then happens after opening things again, then the likelihood is the underground plumbing or the equipment.
Waiting for the water to drop to the level of the leak may result in a lot of draining of the pool (if it is further down), and still be hard to find.
Having gone through it myself a couple of times, and spent too much frustrating time and effort on DIY....call either a pool place or a plumber that uses electronic leak detection. It may cost a few hundred, but can find even very small ones. Then you know what you are dealing with and can figure out the repair accordingly.
 
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kul said:
The recommendation for liner pools is not to let it drain all the way down because then the liner can shift.
Click to expand...
Exactly - why risk damage by possibly draining it too far down?
At 10 yrs, the liner is likely starting to pinhole, and there may be a couple of leaks - not just one. The electronic testing can find that out also.
 
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Since you’ve filled get it running & do the slam to clear things up.
Then you can try the dye around the returns with them plugged & without,
to see if that’s the obvious places of leaking before proceeding to the pros since it looks like that’s where it stopped unless that’s where you drained down to at closing?

If it’s leaking as fast as you described and the leak was lower in the pool you would have had very little water left in the pool.
One other place to check is around the steps at that level - the seal can come loose.

Using bluing liquid as your dye instead of something like food coloring can make it easier to see it & it comes in a big bottle
IMG_9761.jpeg
You’ll need a syringe.
 
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duraleigh said:
A bucket test, performed correctly, will find any leak large enough to matter. Do you know how to perform that test? It is free and simple.

www.troublefreepool.com

Bucket Test

This is a simple method of leak detection is done by marking water levels on … Read more…
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
Click to expand...
Thank you for the information! I’ve forwarded this to my son to familiarize himself with the method.
 
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