Wouldn't my pool empty if there is a leak in the deep end ?

[maestro7879]

18x36 inground vinyl
8ft deep end / 3.5ft shallow end

I have a pool person who has been trying to find a leak. He is now convinced that the leak is at the bottom of the pool.
I'm having a difficult time with that idea.

The water level over many months has not went lower than about a 1/2 inch above the bottom of the skimmer.
Wouldn't the pool drain to the point of the leak over many months ?

There was a leak that he found that was in the shallow end and was patched. I'm still not 100% if that was actually a leak because again wouldn't it drain to the leak level ?

Thanks

 

[JVTrain]

It would indeed drain to the level of the leak if there were no water added from rain, manually, auto-fill etc. If the water table were high, it may take a long time to drain all the way to a low leak, but you'd likely see problems with liner float/wrinkles before that happened.

 

[Pool Clown]

The water level over many months has not went lower than about a 1/2 inch above the bottom of the skimmer.

The bottom of the skimmer inlet (throat)? Or the bottom of the skimmer proper?

I would look at the connection between the liner and the skimmer for a leak if it were 1/2" above the bottom of the skimmer inlet.

 

[maestro7879]

The water is 1/2" from the bottom of the skimmer throat. The skimmer gasket was replaced and silicon was used.
I've watched the pool guy test it with dye multiple times and it doesn't appear to be leaking.

He's still convinced the bottom of the deep end is leaking.

 

[Richard320]

Water seeks its own level. Stop.

If the leak stops at the same place consistently, the leak is at that level. It doesn't have to be at the pool, either. It could be a lousy plumbing joint closer to the pump but at that same level. Do you have a built-in overflow? Maybe the stand pipe is cracked or broken?



I'd start by looking all around inside the pool at that same level, especially near seams and where the steps meet (if any) Then look at the skimmer. See any cracks? Look for especially lush grass or weeds near any return plumbing. Lastly, dig around the pipes near the pad. Is the ground wet?

 

[swimcmp]

When water inside the pool equalizes with ground water it will stop leaking. It does not matter where the water is leaking from. If there is a drain field under the pool that can change the amount of water that you can lose.

 

[Pool Clown]

ESPECIALLY if the gasket was changed, inspect the throat area again. If the water level is near the skimmer throat, go ahead and fill the pool back up. Then take some dye, test solution works well, just don't use it anymore for water testing after, and see if the replaced gasket joint is leaking or drawing any of the dye.

 

[jamesislander]

We have same size/kind of pool. From experience, if there's a leak in the deep end it will continuously drop till it gets to that point and there will be no doubt. Pretty quickly to, when we finally found it there a slice like spot no more than an inch long! Hopefully you are getting charged for the searching. Our pool can lose half an inch to evaporation in a day.

 

[swimcmp]

Just replaced a liner on Saturday the hole in the vinyl was a foot below the water line. With no way for water to get away from the pool and a hydrostatic relief valve water was returning via the valve and the pool did not leak down below the hole.