In Ground Pool Leak Just Discovered This Weekend

[BrianMars]

Hi - Looking for some advice, please. I am a second-year owner of a house with a 16 x 32 in-ground pool, 3ft shallow to 7ft deep end. Hayward Sand Filter and Hayward Super Pump 1HP. All equipment is 10+ years old, came with the pool. Filter was inspected and cleaned. Pump ran fine last season but seemed to be louder than usual this year. I was running the pump a lot last week to get water cleared up and chemistry in balance. Then this past weekend (Fri to Sun) when the weather warmed up and we started using the pool, I ended up topping it off in the mornings which I initially thought was due to evaporation because it was dry...But no - I definitely have a leak.

I think (hope, hope, hope...) I found it - the seal on the Hayward pump. See attached photos. Last night I topped the pool off to the bottom of the screw head on the skimmer plate. I usually run the filtration system for about 8 hours over night. This morning I got up and found I had lost 3/8 to 1/2 inch of water after about 6.5 hours. Also when I start the pump up after being off for several hours, the return lines blow tiny bubbles for a while into the pool for a while.

I can see water puddling below the pump (photo) and running under the filter and equipment pad. And I can see the drips underneath the pump from the seal when the pump runs but it drips slow. But my question is: a half inch of water over the surface of my pool seems like a lot - and the drip is so slow that I wonder if that much water can be lost just through that seal leak alone? Asked another way, could it lost that much water from a slow leak out the pump seal (plus some evap) over the course of a night?

So far, I believe it only loses water when the pump is running...I have not done the bucket test yet, but will do so. Any thoughts or advice appreciated.

Brian

 

[Richard320]

Some quick cipherin' indicates you lost about 150 gallons of water. If it was all from the pump, I'd think you'd have a lake around it.

Do you have a backwash valve, and is the waste line hard-plumbed? If the valve leaks internally, water could be dribbling down the waste line while the pump is on and you wouldn't see it.

 

[BrianMars]

Thank you for the reply and the gallon estimate - and that's what I was afraid of.

Yes, the waste line is hard plumbed to the sewage line. But it's an opaque hose so I can't see if water is running or not. I suppose I could disconnect where the waste hose connects to the plumbing (it's right there next to the pump by the multi-valve) and run the pump to see if anything is leaking. Process of elimination I guess.

 

[BrianMars]

Some quick cipherin' indicates you lost about 150 gallons of water. If it was all from the pump, I'd think you'd have a lake around it.

Do you have a backwash valve, and is the waste line hard-plumbed? If the valve leaks internally, water could be dribbling down the waste line while the pump is on and you wouldn't see it.

Richard - I checked the backwash/drain pipe while the pump was running in filter mode last night and sure enough, a steady stream of water came out of it when I disconnected it from the waste fixture. When I shut the pump off and adjusted the valve, I got it to stop leaking while in filter mode, but obviously the valve gasket needs to be replaced. As a temporary fix, I capped the waste line until I can get the multi-valve fixed or replaced. I'll just uncap it and reconnect it to waste when I need to backwash or drain. Plus I still have the leak in the main seal of the super pump to fix, too, but I think this stopped the bleeding - this morning the water level was barely below the mark I put on the skimmer last night, maybe a millimeter at most below the mark.

Thanks so much for the advice - I was starting to get really stressed out with visions of backhoes and jackhammers in my yard...

Brian

 

[Richard320]

Richard - I checked the backwash/drain pipe while the pump was running in filter mode last night and sure enough, a steady stream of water came out of it when I disconnected it from the waste fixture. When I shut the pump off and adjusted the valve, I got it to stop leaking while in filter mode, but obviously the valve gasket needs to be replaced. As a temporary fix, I capped the waste line until I can get the multi-valve fixed or replaced. I'll just uncap it and reconnect it to waste when I need to backwash or drain. Plus I still have the leak in the main seal of the super pump to fix, too, but I think this stopped the bleeding - this morning the water level was barely below the mark I put on the skimmer last night, maybe a millimeter at most below the mark.

Thanks so much for the advice - I was starting to get really stressed out with visions of backhoes and jackhammers in my yard...

Brian

I love it when the answer is easy.