Water Loss

[kmgambino11]

Hello all, I am new to the site and really looking forward to hearing some of your wisdom. I am a new pool owner with this year being my first. My pool did well for most of the year just a slight battle with MA (I think) right now. My pool water has always been crystal clear, but about a month ago I started seeing this brown looking stuff (looks like sand) on the pool floor that I cant seem to get out with the vacumm. Over the last week I have vacummed to waste several times and its still there the next day. My plan is to drain some water due to high CYA (100) and refill....Srub the floor and pool walls and super shock with bleach (toys and brooms) left in the pool, check/correct pool balance and vacumm. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Thanks and again look forward to learning from you!

15000 Above Ground Pool, cartridge filter with auto chlorine feeder

One other thing, I feel I am losing more water now than a month ago. In three days I have lost about 2 inches in depth. Is this normal?
I live in Charleston SC and the temps here are still in the 80's.

 

[257WbyMag]

Welcome to TFP!

We need some test results to start. FC, CC, pH, TA, CYA for starters. I'm also curious to know if you chlorine holds overnight to within 1 ppm of FC loss. Check the FC before you go to bed when it is dark. Then, check it again in the morning before the sun hits the water. If the FC drops more than 1 ppm overnight, then you have something consuming it in the water.

Two inches of water loss in 3 days seems too excessive to be evaporation.

 

[zea3]

You can do a bucket test to see if the loss is due to evaporation. Get a bucket that will sit on the top step and still be partially submerged. Fill bucket 1/2-3/4 full of pool water and place on step. Use a sharpie to mark the water line on the inside of the bucket. Next mark the bucket on the outside to show how high the pool water is on the bucket. Let the bucket sit on the step undisturbed for 24-48 hours. Again mark the water lines on the inside and the outside of the bucket. Compare how much the water level dropped. If the water loss is significantly greater on the outside of the bucket then you may have a leak.

 

[kmgambino11]

Thanks all for help! I dont have anything in the pool to set a bucket on so I will drop my ladder back in and perform this test

 

[brg88tx]

do a bucket test. any water loss over 1/4" per day is not normal.

 

[HofstraJet]

You can do a bucket test to see if the loss is due to evaporation. Get a bucket that will sit on the top step and still be partially submerged. Fill bucket 1/2-3/4 full of pool water and place on step. Use a sharpie to mark the water line on the inside of the bucket. Next mark the bucket on the outside to show how high the pool water is on the bucket. Let the bucket sit on the step undisturbed for 24-48 hours. Again mark the water lines on the inside and the outside of the bucket. Compare how much the water level dropped. If the water loss is significantly greater on the outside of the bucket then you may have a leak.

This is brilliant! Should be added to Pool School more clearly in the leak detection area (pool-school/leak_detection) as the first step if there are no obvious leaks to rule out evaporation, before even sealing drains, etc. I am in S Florida and for the first time am noticing water level dropping. Will do the bucket test to see if it is evaporation. It is my first winter maintaining, so it may just be a lack of rain refill.