Our inground pool has been closed down for the winter. We decided we needed to lower the water level in our pool as the water was above the vinyl liner coping and water was getting behind the liner causing liner float. We turned on the pump and pumped out water to below the skimmers. We turned the pump back off so it would not run. The next morning (approx. 12 hrs later) when we woke up the water level in the pool had drained drastically! As an experiment, we filled the pool back up to just below the skimmers and by the next morning the water level drained drastically again. Does anyone have any idea what could be happening? The pool held water all winter long until we turned on the pump to drain the pool down some. I would appreciate any ideas. If I can clarify any details please ask. Thank you for reading my plea for help.
Pool Not Holding Water - Please help me
- Thread starter kcraft
- Start date
Welcome to TFP!
It could just be an unfortunate coincidence, but it seems more likely that pumping to waste setup up a syphon that continued draining even after the pump was turned off. For it to work as you describe the waste outlet must be at or below the depth to which the pool drained and you must have left the valve(s) set to pump to waste after turning off the pump. If this is what is happening, the solution is to switch the valve(s) to filter mode and that will break the syphon.
It could just be an unfortunate coincidence, but it seems more likely that pumping to waste setup up a syphon that continued draining even after the pump was turned off. For it to work as you describe the waste outlet must be at or below the depth to which the pool drained and you must have left the valve(s) set to pump to waste after turning off the pump. If this is what is happening, the solution is to switch the valve(s) to filter mode and that will break the syphon.
Thanks so much for the response. You were exactly right! We had left the filter set at the backwash setting and it must have been in a syphon mode even though the filter was off. We refilled the pool and it has held the water overnight, so I think we're in the clear. Whew!! It does puzzle me as to where the water went? Without the filter running and no hose attached to the "sucky hole" (for lack of correct terminology) how could 6,000 gallons of water escape? I assume it slowly leaked from the main drain, but if so, to where? If a pipe is broken I wouldn't think the pool would hold water. Our other train of thought is that the water slowly leaked from the main drain and then out the filter. This doesn't seem very plausible though. Our yard is very wet, but its been raining, so its hard to tell if it is from the pool or the rainstorms. Perhaps we should simply not worry? If this was your pool, what's your opinion? Should we pursue this or simply let it go and see how things work once we open the pool late April?