Cracked suction line

[steveb21]

Hi all,

i am am pretty sure I have a crack/leak in my suction line.

symptoms

If I turn off the pump for a few days and then start it up the water (visible via pump glass) is clear at first and then for a few seconds turns dirty/muddy before returning to clear again.

The longer I leave the pump off before running, the more dirty water.

Note: Leaving the pump off for long periods does not cause it to loose prime/suction.

I have 1 skimmer, and 1 drain.

We did have a unusually extra cold winter here in the UK however I did run the pump constantly on freezing days to try to minimise any damage.

Question;

Where are the most common likely places of cracks? I see there are a few companies offering services of leak detection without major digging work.

 

[AftonJeeper]

Are you losing any water?

When the water sits in the pipes for a few days it could be algae starting to grow. It's recommended you run your pump for a little while everyday unless the pool is closed/winterized.

 

[steveb21]

No do not think I am losing any water.

The “dirty” water is muddy clay type (don’t think it’s algae).

as a test I have just;
closed main drain, only open suction is skimmer - no dirty water.
opened main drain, closed skimmed - dirty water.

so I get the issue from the main drain.

Way it appears there is something cracked which is leaking in soil/clay type.

Any advice?

i take it there is a strong possibility the pipe will need to be replaced? It is a tiled in ground pool.... is there any way it may be repaired without the requirement to dig?

 

[AftonJeeper]

.... is there any way it may be repaired without the requirement to dig?

Not that I am aware of. If it is just the main drain you can close that line off, many pools don't have working main drains.

 

[Arizonarob]

Yup, I keep mine closed and only run the skimmer and a pool vac.

 

[steveb21]

Interesting.

if I keep it closed (and it is cracked) would it not cause issues in the future?

i am guessing it has cracked at the top of pipe - hence why I am not losing water and why soil/clay is dropping in.