Leak?

[swimfam]

I've noticed the water level going down rather quickly - to ensure it is not my imagination, I placed a piece of tape at the water level a few days ago and also placed a bucket filled with water to the pool's water line on the first step in the pool...in just a few days, the water dropped (measured by the tape reference) a good 3/4 of an inch and the pool water line, reference the bucket, dropped about 1/4 of an inch.

I've only had the pump/filter going for about 15 minutes total during the past few days (post installing a new pressure gauge)...

Any ideas?

 

[duraleigh]

A plaster pool seldom leaks at the shell. Skimmers are probably the most common. You'll have to do detective work 'til you find it. Soft spots in the ground? any visible water from the plumbing, etc. It can be time consuming but you just have to keep looking 'til you find it

 

[RobbieH]

Leak detection companies are not horribly expensive. I've seen prices from $265 to $400. Mine leaks around the skimmer, but I'm not going to fix anything other than temporary epoxy until I replaster. I get no soft spots or anything wet around my pool, even though when it leaks, it leaks heavily.

 

[swimfam]

So, I'm certain my pool has a leak. This week I have not run the pump at all. It's easily lostan inch since Sunday and now is in the too low zone to run the pump (pretty close to being below the Skimmer). I'm thinking I will just keep letting it leak at least until it gets completely below the Skimmer - assuming if it stops leaking then, the Skimmer is the culprit?

Is there any chance the problem could be in the above-ground plumbing/pump/filter area - even if thepump hasn't been running? I haven't done any real inspecting of the equipment to see if it is all tight and leak-free. However, I did lube the pump basket lid gasket and that fixed a leak I noticed (water coming out of the lid area)...

Thanks.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Letting it leak down until it stops is usually a good way to pinpoint the level of the leak. Don't be surprised if it goes below the level of the skimmer though. Once it stops leaking you'll have a good idea where to start looking.

 

[swimfam]

Is it safe to say that it can literally be leaking anywhere - with most probable being the skimmer area, pipe fittings/drains within the pool and/or plumbing under or above ground...?

Is the pump basket supposed to remain full? I noticed that the lid was leaking and lubed the o-ring. That seemed to fix the water leak but when opening the lid, the bucket is less than 1/4 full. The lid has a sign that says to fill the bucket prior to running the pump...

 

[Bama Rambler]

On an inground pool, the pump basket will drain down every time you open the lid unless you have a check valve or shutoff valve to prevent it from doing so.

Common places for a leak are the skimmer box and the pool light niche or conduit.

 

[swimfam]

Well, looks like the leaking has stopped - the overall water level is now at the bottom of the top row of tiles (which is just a 1/4 inch or so above the bottom portion of the skimmer opening) and seems to be holding (no loss in 2-3 days). I have had the pump off for over a week now...I'm really at kind of a loss as to figuring out exactly where the leak is coming from...I kind of hoped it would leak just below the skimmer...it's got about a 1/4 inch to go before it is completely below the skimmer opening.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Look in the skimmer mouth and see if there's a seam or somewhere the water may be leaking out of. Also look all around the pool and see if there's anything else at that level. Once you've done that, I'd fill it back up and seal off the skimmer piping going to the pump with a winterizing plug and see if it leaks again. If it doesn't then the leak is somewhere in the piping.

 

[swimfam]

Been a bit since I last posted...

I had thought the level held but it really didn't. It seems I'm losing 1/8" or so per day - I suppose I can count that as evaporation...
Thus the level seems to be holding. It did drop much more rapid when above the skimmer port and I think the leak may be at the skimmer 'throat' (I noticed debris coming out of the grout line in that area - right where it changes from grout to skimmer plastic). Also, there is water in the skimmer basket area and hasn't moved...thus, I'm assuming there is no pipe leakage...?

I'm running the bucket test once more. It does seem to me that even 1/8" of loss is a lot, but after all, I'm new at this.

Anyways, my question is: do I need to use grout (if so, which kind is recommended?) and if not, can I just silicone caulk the skimmer throat area, etc)?
Also, once I refill and begin to get the chems back in order, is there an order in which I should add the chems? (I don't recall any specifics in pool school, but I'll review). I understand the testing and pool calculator, and I know I'll need to add quite a bit of stuff...

Thanks!