Pool water levels - leak?

[rohan]

Need some advice to know if I have a problem. I live in Atlanta, and over the summer, it was not unusual for me to top off the pool 3-4 times a week due to the high heat levels. However, we are now in the Fall and the temperatures have cooled down quite a bit, and I find that I am still topping off 1-2 times a week. Since I have a fountain on the deep end of the pool which agitates the water, I thought that turning it off might help, but things have stayed the same. I'm wondering if this is a normal amount of evaporation, or a symptom of a bigger problem, like a leak somewhere in the system. Any advice on normal levels, things to look for or test for a leak, common areas where this may take place, etc would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Bama Rambler]

The first thing you need to do is perform a bucket test. Take a 5 gallon open topped bucket and fill it about 2/3rd full of water, sit it on the top step in the pool or on the deck right beside the pool and carefully mark or measure the level. Then mark or measure the level in the pool. Let it sit overnight then measure the levels again. Both the pool and the bucket should lose the same amount if your loss is from evaporation. If the pool loses more than the bucket you have a leak.

If you find that you have a leak, come back and we can help you with finding it.

 

[rohan]

Ok. Did the bucket test. Left it overnight and through the day today. Bucket lost almost no water. Pool level on the external of the bucket dropped about an inch. My wife tells me that my polaris has been getting stuck a lot lately and spewing water out of the pool. This may have contributed, but I can't imagine that it would drop the level that much. Whats next? Should I do the bucket test again with the polaris turned off?

Also - I just dialed back my pump runtime to 4 hours instead of the 8 hours I normally run it during the summer. My thinking is that as it cools, algae growth should not be as much a threat. Is this a valid assumption?

Thanks for the help.

 

[waste]

Try reading this, from Pool School. If you still have questions, we'll be here to answer them

 

[rohan]

What is the best way to plug inlets, returns and skimmers?

 

[polyvue]

Ok. Did the bucket test. Left it overnight and through the day today. Bucket lost almost no water. Pool level on the external of the bucket dropped about an inch. My wife tells me that my polaris has been getting stuck a lot lately and spewing water out of the pool. This may have contributed, but I can't imagine that it would drop the level that much. Whats next? Should I do the bucket test again with the polaris turned off?

Unless the Polaris is stuck for more than a few minutes at a time, I can't imagine it draining an entire inch of water from your pool. You could re-do the bucket test to be sure, but I'm pretty sure that's what you'll find.

Also - I just dialed back my pump runtime to 4 hours instead of the 8 hours I normally run it during the summer. My thinking is that as it cools, algae growth should not be as much a threat. Is this a valid assumption?

Do you have algae now? If water clarity is OK but you suspect algae, do an overnight chlorine loss test. If you're just asking from the prevention perspective, it's true that at cooler temperatures everything slows down... algae included.

 

[waste]

Plastic 1 1/2" threaded plugs work well (like SP 1022-C) or the expandable rubber plugs, with wing-nuts to tighten them). If you normally winterize the pool, you should have the plugs on hand.

Plugging the lines and repeating the bucket test will indicate if the leak is in the pipes or the body of the pool.