Hey all!
Some months ago I asked for help with my NorCal linered in-ground pool that was/is losing water at a faster-than-evaporation rate...1" a day plus! The skimmer was the first culprit. So, bought the AB Putty, applied it in every conceivable crack, and no luck. I allowed the pool to "drain" down until it cleared the liner bead. At that point, it continued down, but at a rate more consistant with evaporation. So, ah-ah! There's a leak ABOVE the liner bead!
For my earlier posts, I had thought my pool was gunite everywhere underneath. I have since become educated on liner pool construction, and am not so sure any longer. What I thought was the top of the fully gunited pool wall may possibly be only the gunite collar on top of the steel/polymer walls. I found three gaping cracks in the collar, under the ceramic tiles, and plugged them with AB Putty. I then refilled the pool to operating level, feeling pretty pleased with myself, and the next morning, awoke to my water level...down about 1.5"'s! Apparently I have increase the water loss somehow!
This is where y'all come in. What can I try next? Is the bead supposed to be below the waterline? When I read about vinyl liner installs, it seems the bead is supposed to be right under the coping, well out of the water? With my pool, there's the cantilevered poured concrete deck, then 6" of tile, then the liner bead and liner.
Could the bead be in the wrong position? And could the leak be all around the pool at the bead? Can I seal the bead with some type of chalk? Right now, I just want to stop buying hundreds of dollars worth of water until I can redo the pool!
Thanks!
Some months ago I asked for help with my NorCal linered in-ground pool that was/is losing water at a faster-than-evaporation rate...1" a day plus! The skimmer was the first culprit. So, bought the AB Putty, applied it in every conceivable crack, and no luck. I allowed the pool to "drain" down until it cleared the liner bead. At that point, it continued down, but at a rate more consistant with evaporation. So, ah-ah! There's a leak ABOVE the liner bead!
For my earlier posts, I had thought my pool was gunite everywhere underneath. I have since become educated on liner pool construction, and am not so sure any longer. What I thought was the top of the fully gunited pool wall may possibly be only the gunite collar on top of the steel/polymer walls. I found three gaping cracks in the collar, under the ceramic tiles, and plugged them with AB Putty. I then refilled the pool to operating level, feeling pretty pleased with myself, and the next morning, awoke to my water level...down about 1.5"'s! Apparently I have increase the water loss somehow!
This is where y'all come in. What can I try next? Is the bead supposed to be below the waterline? When I read about vinyl liner installs, it seems the bead is supposed to be right under the coping, well out of the water? With my pool, there's the cantilevered poured concrete deck, then 6" of tile, then the liner bead and liner.
Could the bead be in the wrong position? And could the leak be all around the pool at the bead? Can I seal the bead with some type of chalk? Right now, I just want to stop buying hundreds of dollars worth of water until I can redo the pool!
Thanks!
This would explain the increased water loss after doing the fix.
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