Losing Water

[lyndapoggie]

Pool Leak. I am new to owning a gunite pool. We noticed we are losing water faster than reg. evaporation. Adding every day. Local pool place said to do the die test to see if water is being drawn in a direction. This showed nothing. I was told it was likely the skimmer so to shut off valve from skimmer at pump and let the bottom drain draw. This did NOT draw water so I had to open up skimmer again or burn out my pump.
Not sure what to do at this point. Don't want to get ripped off by a pool person if this is something we can take care of ourself.
Why would the bottom drain not be drawing? We feel no suction at all when pump is running.
This is a salt pool and the previous owners put in all very expensive self chlorinators and digital systems. Feeling a little lost right now as to what to do next.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Did you perform the bucket test to determine it really is a leak?
Here's what I'd do.
1) Perform the bucket test with the pump running.
2) Perform the bucket test with the pump off.

Post the results back here and we can go from there.
Depending on what you find in the first two tests we'll suggest another round of test to narrow down the problem.

 

[rwrogers11]

I need to do the bucket test as well. But what is the best method? I have an above ground pool. Do I place the bucket by the pool, on the dirt, on the deck, or suspend the bucket in the pool water so it gets to the same temp and same sunlight?

 

[zea3]

For an above ground pool set the bucket on the top step. Have enough water in the bucket so it does not float. The bucket has to be sitting in the pool water to be a valid test. Mark the pool waterline on the outside of the bucket and the bucket waterline on the inside of the bucket. Let the bucket sit 24 hours undisturbed, then mark the inside and outside waterlines again.

 

[lyndapoggie]

Yes I did do the bucket test. It rained overnight, the bucket gained water the pool still lost. My Main drain at the bottom of the pool does not seem to be drawing.

 

[zea3]

Does your pool have a light? The usual suspects for leaks in a gunite pool are the pool lights, main drain, skimmer, and returns. Your main drain may have a plug in it. Someone would need to dive down and take the cover off to see if it is plugged. You can also dive down with a bottle of food coloring and squirt it around the main drain to see if it is drawn in. You will need to be withing a couple of inches of the opening being tested to see if anything is drawn in. If your main drain does not have a plug in it then it may be turned off at a valve outside the pool. Try the dye test around the perimeter of the lights and returns as well. If that shows nothing then we will need to investigate other options.

 

[Bama Rambler]

If your main drain can be valved off at the equipment pad then valve it off and seal the skimmer and return off in the pool with winterizing plugs and run the bucket test again. If it stops leaking you'll know that the leak isn't the MD or the shell.

 

[lyndapoggie]

The pool does have a light that doesn't work and is hanging slightly ajar. I know that this would look obvious but we did do the die test and saw nothing drawn in. We will try the main drain today. If it is open at the filter why would it not be drawing? There does not seem to be a plug in it.

 

[brg88tx]

pay close attention to the bottom of the skimmer mouth where it meets the waterline tile. that's where mine was leaking.

 

[lyndapoggie]

Got pool putty. at closer examination the area where the skimmer flapper was, had been puttied before. Reapplied there and then when the filter first came on I noticed tiny bubbles coming from around the ouside of one of the return vents. Sealed this and some tiny areas where it looked like the tiles may be compromised.
We'll see how it goes.

 

[bill1175]

Have you recently had termites? I think they are eating my vinyl liner and if the can eat wood and vinyl maybe they can eat away at your liner.

 

[AquaDoctorLLC]

Have you recently had termites? I think they are eating my vinyl liner and if the can eat wood and vinyl maybe they can eat away at your liner.

He has a gunite pool. No liner.

Also make sure if you have a sand filter with a multiport, that there is no water coming out of the backwash line, while the filter is in "filter" mode. If so, your diverter gasket needs to be replaced.

 

[lyndapoggie]

Yes, Gunite pool and it's a salt pool here in florida. No sand in the filter. Used the putty, seems to have slowed the ,losing water process. It's also been blazing hot and the pool is in full sun. I'll get a better idea of just how much we're losing this week now that I think I have "corked" a couple of questionable areas.