Could this be causing my leak?

[wengxyu]

Hi, Everyone, This is my first post here. I got this old vinyl pool (around 10 years) from previous owner of my house. Last year everything was great. And this year 2 weeks after I opened my pool, I noticed a leaking problem. The water is dropping about 1 inch in 12 hours with either the pump on or off. I don't have a in pool light and since it is still leaking even when drops below the skimmer line, I suppose the problem is not in the skimmer. I did notice some kind of sealer fell off from the liner fixture around the steps. I took a picture.
Now the question is, will this cause the leak I am seeing? Also what should I use to seal it again?

Thanks for all the recommendations!!

 

[wengxyu]

Here is another picture of the other side,

 

[Bama Rambler]

That should be easy to find with a little food coloring. Just squeeze a few drops into the water near the suspected places and see if it gets sucked into the seam.

 

[257WbyMag]

Welcome to TFP!

Don't know. What you can do is turn the pump off and with the water still, add a little dye (food coloring or some R-0011L reagent) into the water close to the crack and see if the dye gets pulled into the crack. If it does, then you have a leak there.

Are you sure you have a leak and that it isn't just evaporation? If you haven't already, you might consider doing the bucket test to make sure that it is leaking and not evaporating. See the following article to assist you in making this determination.

pool-school/leak_detection

 

[wengxyu]

Thanks for the quick answer.
I did the bucket testing and also the pump on/off testing. I am 90% sure that the leak is in the body somewhere, since I don't have a in-pool light and the water is now below the skimmer and still retreating. So the steps become my prime suspect. I'll go ahead and test with dyes.

 

[wengxyu]

Came back from my backyard. The dye testing seems to be inconclusive, Even if the dye is getting sucked in there , it is slow so I am not sure if it's caused by leaking or just normal water flow. Nonetheless, if I want to seal the gap in between, can anyone suggest a way?

 

[PoolGuyNJ]

The trim between the liner and step should be screwed pretty tightly every couple inches. The outer fascia of the trim is held by the edges and can be peeled away and pressed back into place. If the screws behind the fascia are tight and trim is unbroken, the leak is not likely to be there unless the gasket behind it is messed up.

Given the age of the liner, I would expect that a careful search of the bottom might reveal holes, especially along edges and in corners. Check your pool tools for any nicks.

Scott