Hey folks, I've got a leak in my vinyl liner and have been losing water for a few days. Its now below the skimmer basket and water outlets. I've had trouble with screws coming loose on the steps but that doesn't appear to be the case now. We do not have lights in the pool. Where do I start diagnosis? thx, SR
Leak in vinyl liner. Where to start?
- Thread starter Slowride
- Start date
Since it is already low, I would let it drain on down until it becomes apparent it is not in the sidewalls.
Or you can use food coloring dye and see where it's being sucked in. This will work faster if you suspect a leak in a particular area. Good luck, I was lucky enough to find a fairly large hole in my liner. Start by inspecting old patches (if there are any) first.
Finding a leak can be a challenge... as Hubby and I recently found out. If you're certain it's not the plumbing, that's a good start.
I did the whole food coloring dye thing and found nothing. We have lots of little dimples and divits in the bottom of our liner and I just couldn't cover them all at one time. Hubby did a night swim with a flashlight in a ziplock baggie (we don't have a light in the pool) because I've read some say that the light reflects the water differently at night.... I thought we had only a few dimples in our liner before that... boy they show up like crazy with a light at night! We didn't find the leak that way either. I was ready to go around with the dye with a more methodical approach, but that never happened. We were swimming one afternoon with some family over... Hubby and I had been keeping our eye out anytime we were swimming because the leak had begun to get worse. While he was doing laps back and forth across the pool he jumped up and exclaimed, "I found it!!!" He wasn't looking specifically for it at the time, but just happened to catch his eye as he swam.
I would start by checking all of the seams. Walk around in your pool and see if you feel any spots that have a deeper dimple/divit or feel soft when you step on them. Swim along the bottom and run your hands along as you swim. You might happen to feel the area that's damaged. I had my son stand on my back while I swam along the bottom because it's difficult to swim slowly and keep yourself down.
Our hole was more like a slit in the liner maybe 1/2 inch long. We were losing lots of water and couldn't figure out where it was going because there was no evidence of the extra moisture outside of the pool edges. We were pretty certain it wasn't a wall leak because of that.
I did the whole food coloring dye thing and found nothing. We have lots of little dimples and divits in the bottom of our liner and I just couldn't cover them all at one time. Hubby did a night swim with a flashlight in a ziplock baggie (we don't have a light in the pool) because I've read some say that the light reflects the water differently at night.... I thought we had only a few dimples in our liner before that... boy they show up like crazy with a light at night! We didn't find the leak that way either. I was ready to go around with the dye with a more methodical approach, but that never happened. We were swimming one afternoon with some family over... Hubby and I had been keeping our eye out anytime we were swimming because the leak had begun to get worse. While he was doing laps back and forth across the pool he jumped up and exclaimed, "I found it!!!" He wasn't looking specifically for it at the time, but just happened to catch his eye as he swam.
I would start by checking all of the seams. Walk around in your pool and see if you feel any spots that have a deeper dimple/divit or feel soft when you step on them. Swim along the bottom and run your hands along as you swim. You might happen to feel the area that's damaged. I had my son stand on my back while I swam along the bottom because it's difficult to swim slowly and keep yourself down.
Our hole was more like a slit in the liner maybe 1/2 inch long. We were losing lots of water and couldn't figure out where it was going because there was no evidence of the extra moisture outside of the pool edges. We were pretty certain it wasn't a wall leak because of that.
Slowride look and see if you have an area where it looks like dirt on the liner if your liner color shows dirt. Try to sweep that "dirt " away, if it doesn't sweep away it could be a pinhole. I have been doing this for 30 years and holes are extremely tough to find unless you just get lucky
I'm losing an inch of water every 24 hours. Its a 36k gallon pool. Does a pinprick type of hole leak that much water in 24 hours?
I had a leak recently. I cut the pump off and just let it loose water until it stopped. That taught me at what depth to look. Then walked around until I found a soft spot. After narrowing it down then just carefully feeling and looking until I found it. I have also seen putting a scuba weight belt on and goggles and then searching along underwater.
We were losing about an inch every 2 days with a slice in the liner that was about 1/2 inch long in our above ground.
Not that it makes a difference I don't guess, but ours is a vinyl, inground pool. Will the pump continue to hold prime with the water level so low, if I shut off the skimmer line. It's an SWG and will need to run it soon. Or I guess I can balance with bleach and circulate with swimmers. Thoughts?
Still dropping. I presume I'm going to patch whatever I find. Never really done it before, what are the best methods? thx, SR
slowride ,
Did you ever find your leak. I have same issue now. I lose 1-1/2 inches ever 24 hours. I know 1/4 inch is evaporation. I finnaly let mine go and measured every day till It stopped so I could find the height of where it is. I just refilled and now am just in process of balancing so I can do the food color thing. I have lights so think I have narrowed it down to one of them or steps.
LS
Did you ever find your leak. I have same issue now. I lose 1-1/2 inches ever 24 hours. I know 1/4 inch is evaporation. I finnaly let mine go and measured every day till It stopped so I could find the height of where it is. I just refilled and now am just in process of balancing so I can do the food color thing. I have lights so think I have narrowed it down to one of them or steps.
LS