3 years old inground pool, already ground leak?

[Ahzuz1337]

Hi everyone,

Bought this house 2 years ago, came with a modern in-ground pool that was put in place 3 years ago, everything is basically brand new.
Two first summer were flawless, salt pool system easy peasy to maintain.

This spring (i am in Canada), i'm having trouble with getting enough water sucked into the pump basket from the suction line.
I do not have a floor drain, so main drain/suction is from the skimmer only.

Trying to open the pool last week I saw that I wasn't getting enough water in the pump right, never was the basket full of water.
Of course I did all the basics, fill the drain and all piping with water, nada, always the same.
Basket never full, just air and some flow of water.

I thought the pump was out, went out and bought an Hayward SuperPump. installed it tonight, brand new.
Same thing, pump doesn't receive enough water from the skimmer, it pumps a bit and water... and air.

So I blocked the water entry from main suction line in the pool's skimmer and put the shopvac in it on the pump side.
Guess what, i'm sucking small amount of water... forever ???
Water sucked in is clear as drinkable water, I have no idea what the heck is going on and where it's coming from as the entry is blocked.

Before digging in the ground to check the piping, anything else that I might be missing ?

Thank you!

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

So I blocked the water entry from main suction line in the pool's skimmer

How did you block the skimmer?

and put the shopvac in it on the pump side.
Guess what, i'm sucking small amount of water... forever ???

What is your pool CYA level?

Test the water for CYA.

CYA does not occur naturally.

If the water you are sucking contains CYA then it is pool water. Likely left in the pipes or leaking past your plug.

If the water has no CYA then it is ground water and you have a cracked pipe.

Water sucked in is clear as drinkable water, I have no idea what the heck is going on and where it's coming from as the entry is blocked.

Who winterized your pool?

 

[Ahzuz1337]

Welcome to TFP.

Thank you so much!

How did you block the skimmer?

With a screw-in Hayward "plug", especially made for that

What is your pool CYA level?

Test the water for CYA.

Good point, i'll test that.

CYA does not occur naturally.

If the water you are sucking contains CYA then it is pool water. Likely left in the pipes or leaking past your plug.

I left the shop vac run for like 5 minutes and it's still sucking a bit of water... I doubt it's water left in the pipe, unless there's a major clog, I'll try running it forever tomorrow and report back if i'm still sucking water in.

If the water has no CYA then it is ground water and you have a cracked pipe.



Who winterized your pool?

Myself, same method I did for the last 10 years..... i always do everything by the book, bleed all lines, block all the line's entry and exists, put -40 C anti-freeze in the lines, , put a special cap specifically made for freezing temp cap on the suction line,etc (i'm in Canada)
We had a very cold winter last winter, but my pool is only 3 years old

I'll post a video tomorrow.

 

[Ahzuz1337]

Hi,

Found the main culprit and it's totally 100% my fault.
I forgot to put the O-ring at the suction joint when I started my pool last week........ put it in and it's working better, not perfect tought, I still have lots of air sucked it but at least the water is flowing now..... now gotta find the remaining air leaks on the suction side, any tips is appreciated!

 

[ajw22]

any tips is appreciated!

Suction Side Air Leaks

If you see air bubbles coming out of the return lines in your pool, you likely have a leak. Some signs that a suction side plumbing leak has occurred include: Read more

www.troublefreepool.com

Wrap saran wrap around different area to seal the leaks

Use a hose and run water on various PVC joints and look for where the pump begins running normally.