We bought a home with an inground 18x36 pool. It is well over 20 years old. Liner we are told is around 4 years old. Last year was the first time it had been opened in a few years. I have replaced the filter and pump, cut off the polaris line, we have no bottom drain.
The skimmer shows cracks and repairs. The water line did not seem to go down as fast last year so I am assuming I have a leak being that the water line goes down about an inch every 36 hours. (faster when filled to recommended line, slows as it goes down, making me assume the leak is in the skimmer)
I have done the water color test but have not found an obvious suction/leak.
There were these string-like things coming from behind the faceplate. I removed the screws and faceplate to find they were from duct tape. The seal that goes behind the liner was falling apart in pieces. There seemed to be more layers of things but I just put it all back.
I noticed something else that will be hard to put in descriptive in words. There is the part of the skimmer that is the entrance from the pool which is the thickness of the wall then there is the skimmer itself. They are only flush at the bottom of the rectangle. The further up the sides of the rectangle, the further apart they get. I attribute this to the falling away of the concrete above the skimmer. I have no way of knowing if that is the cause of the leak or if there is something extending beyond where they meet helping to prevent leakage. The food dye did not seem to get sucked into the crevice.
I have gotten a quote for $800 to dig up concrete, replace skimmer and replace concrete. I have been told it is a gamble if the liner will hold and not leak.
I suppose I would have to refill the pool a few hours once a week to keep in enough water to pump. I have been letting it go to see if it ever stops going down which so far it has only slowed but not stopped. (can no longer pump as level is too low, could leak be in line the reason it slowed?) It was over 100 degrees last week several days, several rain showers, in the 80's this week. Am I missing that evaporation could be the real cause of water level reduction at the rate of an inch every day and half?
There is no evidence out in the yard of pooling of excess water. Where is this water going?
The skimmer shows cracks and repairs. The water line did not seem to go down as fast last year so I am assuming I have a leak being that the water line goes down about an inch every 36 hours. (faster when filled to recommended line, slows as it goes down, making me assume the leak is in the skimmer)
I have done the water color test but have not found an obvious suction/leak.
There were these string-like things coming from behind the faceplate. I removed the screws and faceplate to find they were from duct tape. The seal that goes behind the liner was falling apart in pieces. There seemed to be more layers of things but I just put it all back.
I noticed something else that will be hard to put in descriptive in words. There is the part of the skimmer that is the entrance from the pool which is the thickness of the wall then there is the skimmer itself. They are only flush at the bottom of the rectangle. The further up the sides of the rectangle, the further apart they get. I attribute this to the falling away of the concrete above the skimmer. I have no way of knowing if that is the cause of the leak or if there is something extending beyond where they meet helping to prevent leakage. The food dye did not seem to get sucked into the crevice.
I have gotten a quote for $800 to dig up concrete, replace skimmer and replace concrete. I have been told it is a gamble if the liner will hold and not leak.
I suppose I would have to refill the pool a few hours once a week to keep in enough water to pump. I have been letting it go to see if it ever stops going down which so far it has only slowed but not stopped. (can no longer pump as level is too low, could leak be in line the reason it slowed?) It was over 100 degrees last week several days, several rain showers, in the 80's this week. Am I missing that evaporation could be the real cause of water level reduction at the rate of an inch every day and half?
There is no evidence out in the yard of pooling of excess water. Where is this water going?
