OMG I had just wrote a huge message and accidentally clicked the back button on my browser before I submitted it and lost it....AAAARRRGGGHHHH!!! Anyway, here goes again...
My pool is leaking and I need serious help. First let me give a little history on my pool.
I have a 24' round above ground pool in it's 3rd season. The first season I used Baquacil and had tons of problems. The 2nd season I started with Baquacil only to have my problems return and that's when I found this site. I switched to the BBB method after about a month into the 2nd season with outstanding results and have been a happy pool chemist ever since. This season I opened my pool to clear water with still a slight chlorine residue and had it balanced and running in no time. Until about 2 months ago when I noticed I was losing a little more water than normal.
I was having to fill the pool every 2-3 days. My water bill was expensive that 1st month too! I checked the pump equipment but did not see any leaking there. I did not see any abnormal water around my pool either and not suprisingly since it's been raining like crazy here. I had tried to find the leak myself by jumping in with a snorkel and mask for several hours with no luck. There was one spot on one of the seems that looked a little suspicious but didn't appear to be leaking from there. I was pretty sure it wasn't the pump equipment but I decided to let the pool leak till it stopped. It eventually stopped leaking about 1 foot below the return jets. This confirmed it was not the pump so I started looking for leaks where the water stopped. Still nothing.
That's when I decided to call the pool store for help. I was told that even though the pool stopped leaking at a certain point it could still be on the bottom because the water pressure could be lessened. He told me he could send someone out to find the leak for $130. I was willing to try anything so I said ok. I had to fill my pool back up and get the water clean again since it got nasty in those 2 weeks.
So, the guy just left. I explained all the above to him and he grabbed my pool brush and walked around the pool trying to see if he could find anything. He asked if I had anything under my steps which I didn't and he said the leak was probably there. We removed the steps and he still didn't see anything. He didn't want to but decided he would have to jump in and look. The water is freaking freezing since it's getting cooler and there is a lot of fresh water in the pool. He still couldn't find the leak. I showed him the spot where the liner was seperating and he didn't think it was leaking from there either.
He asked me what chemicals I was using. This is where I got nervous. I told him bleach. he had this strange look on his face and said well you can't balance a pool with just bleach. So I explained that I also use, borax and baking soda as well as muritic acid and CYA from walmart. He said that's your problem, your buying chemicals from walmart. I was like well I'm not buying there chlorine tablets or other chemicals, it's just straight cyuranic acid. He told me I probably had a ton of pin holes from the walmart chemicals.
I was not sure what to say at this point. He seemed like a nice enough guy and didn't come off as a jerk or anything. He eventually patched the spot where the seam was and said let's see if it stops leaking. If it does we know it was the seam and we can get a new liner for free since it's under warranty and if it still leaks than I have pin holes and the liner needs to be replaced. He didn't charge me anything and left.
I could be writing this a little premature as the seam could be the problem. But I still don't think it is. But I am a little concerned. Could I have pin holes in my liner from CYA from walmart? I never used any walmart chemicals other than straight CYA. Could Walmart's CYA be different than anyone elses? Could any other chemicals cause it like muriatic acid? I know that stuff is nasty.
1st season - Baquacrap!
2nd season - more Baqucrap and then the conversion!
3rd season - Leak!
I am ready to tear the pool down and throw it in the garbage at this point. I just want at least one troublefreepool season!
My pool is leaking and I need serious help. First let me give a little history on my pool.
I have a 24' round above ground pool in it's 3rd season. The first season I used Baquacil and had tons of problems. The 2nd season I started with Baquacil only to have my problems return and that's when I found this site. I switched to the BBB method after about a month into the 2nd season with outstanding results and have been a happy pool chemist ever since. This season I opened my pool to clear water with still a slight chlorine residue and had it balanced and running in no time. Until about 2 months ago when I noticed I was losing a little more water than normal.
I was having to fill the pool every 2-3 days. My water bill was expensive that 1st month too! I checked the pump equipment but did not see any leaking there. I did not see any abnormal water around my pool either and not suprisingly since it's been raining like crazy here. I had tried to find the leak myself by jumping in with a snorkel and mask for several hours with no luck. There was one spot on one of the seems that looked a little suspicious but didn't appear to be leaking from there. I was pretty sure it wasn't the pump equipment but I decided to let the pool leak till it stopped. It eventually stopped leaking about 1 foot below the return jets. This confirmed it was not the pump so I started looking for leaks where the water stopped. Still nothing.
That's when I decided to call the pool store for help. I was told that even though the pool stopped leaking at a certain point it could still be on the bottom because the water pressure could be lessened. He told me he could send someone out to find the leak for $130. I was willing to try anything so I said ok. I had to fill my pool back up and get the water clean again since it got nasty in those 2 weeks.
So, the guy just left. I explained all the above to him and he grabbed my pool brush and walked around the pool trying to see if he could find anything. He asked if I had anything under my steps which I didn't and he said the leak was probably there. We removed the steps and he still didn't see anything. He didn't want to but decided he would have to jump in and look. The water is freaking freezing since it's getting cooler and there is a lot of fresh water in the pool. He still couldn't find the leak. I showed him the spot where the liner was seperating and he didn't think it was leaking from there either.
He asked me what chemicals I was using. This is where I got nervous. I told him bleach. he had this strange look on his face and said well you can't balance a pool with just bleach. So I explained that I also use, borax and baking soda as well as muritic acid and CYA from walmart. He said that's your problem, your buying chemicals from walmart. I was like well I'm not buying there chlorine tablets or other chemicals, it's just straight cyuranic acid. He told me I probably had a ton of pin holes from the walmart chemicals.
I was not sure what to say at this point. He seemed like a nice enough guy and didn't come off as a jerk or anything. He eventually patched the spot where the seam was and said let's see if it stops leaking. If it does we know it was the seam and we can get a new liner for free since it's under warranty and if it still leaks than I have pin holes and the liner needs to be replaced. He didn't charge me anything and left.
I could be writing this a little premature as the seam could be the problem. But I still don't think it is. But I am a little concerned. Could I have pin holes in my liner from CYA from walmart? I never used any walmart chemicals other than straight CYA. Could Walmart's CYA be different than anyone elses? Could any other chemicals cause it like muriatic acid? I know that stuff is nasty.
1st season - Baquacrap!
2nd season - more Baqucrap and then the conversion!
3rd season - Leak!
I am ready to tear the pool down and throw it in the garbage at this point. I just want at least one troublefreepool season!
