Suction Side Leak

[joc1394]

Greetings TFP!

This is my third season of the TFP method, and overall I've found it to be MUCH easier than balancing with pool store chemicals. Except my pH always seems to rise.

It donned on me the other day that my pool is constantly aerating itself with air bubbles from the returns - which thanks to Pool School I've figured out is due to a suction side leak. I've used the garden hose to rule out the plug at the bottom of the strainer pot, the lid/gasket, and the plumbing above ground. So I started digging. I've uncovered the 90° elbow below the pump and flooded my hole with water, but still had air. Before I dug further, i used a winterizing plug to rule out my main drain plumbing and skimmer plumbing into my pool deck debris canister. So... I dug some more but still haven't found the leak. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll find it without digging up concrete (something I'm not comfortable doing - I don't have the tools or the expertise).

Here are two pics of my current excavation:

and

So, any suggestions? Do I need to dig under the pipe, too, or would flooding the hole as I currently have done find the leak? If I call the pool company to come check it out, what kind of expense is reasonable to get this fixed? Is it okay to just leave it sucking air and adding acid weekly - basically what I've been doing since the fall of 2012...? Any recommendations on contractors that do a good job in Maryland?

Thank you so much!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[joc1394]

Update: The pool store offered to pressure test from pump to debris canister for $225. I've got a call in to two other places because I haven't had the best of luck with the pool store in the past, and they're booked up for at least two weeks. Waiting to hear back now.

Additionally, I found this thread after my first post about using Marlig Fix A Leak:
I Used Marlig Liquid Fix-a-Leak

I messaged Issac-1 about the long-term performance of the Marlig's product and this was his reply - for future reference:

You are actually the second person this week that has asked about this, so let me cut and paste my reply from the other similar question below, the short answer is it held up for a year give or take, maybe 18 months I don't recall exactly[...] things held for about a year give or take at which point the leak came back and was WAY too big to fix with the fix a leak.

I'd still welcome any help or suggestions, but as of right now, it looks like I'll keep digging later this week.