Best method for leak repair??

[Lrooth]

Hello....
I Had a new Jandy CL350 filter installed only a week last August when a major pool leak reared its ugly self. The Cartridge filter filled with air from the leak, making the unit not as efficient, I was told. ...Not that the unit was sized improperly. To get through this year's start up, i have been using the pressure release valve to periodically release the air and get the filter to fill up with water and maintain pressure.


QUESTION: the pool was constructed with the pipes embedded inside the walls of the concrete. They exit at one corner of the pool. The leak detection company said a contractor could dig up the corner and repair. Has anyone used the "sleeve" leak solution, where they put a flexible tube inside the copper pipes, instead of breaking through the concrete? I have been quoted $5,800 for the Sleeve insert solution, $2,800 for a bust through the concrete solution and $4,000 to tunnel under the deck. What would you recommend? :?:

 

[Lrooth]

I'm losing 2 inches a day... The only way I can keep the pool filter running and getting the pool chemically close to OK, is to keep the water on to refill. Wasting tons of chemicals and water. Pool stores are too busy to respond to me. I started back in February to get estimates and schedule.

Should I shut down? And just wait to get it fixed? Can any plumber dig up the deck and fix the leak? Does it have to be a pool company? Please give me some direction.

Thanks...

 

[linen]

Have you read this pool school article? http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/leak_detection

One way to troubleshoot a leak is to turn off the pump and let the pool leak down to where it stops (assuming it is not too far).

 

[duraleigh]

Getting air in your system is not indicative of an underground leak. You might have more than one issue.

When you lose 2" daily, can you see the water coming out anywhere? How do you know the leak is in the corner your refer to?

 

[Bama Rambler]

A plumber can easily dig up the piping and repair the leak. Getting one that will do it is another story.

Since a leak detection service located the leak you should have a pretty good idea where it's located and shouldn't have a lot of extra costs associated in finding it.

I wouldn't go for the sleeving.

 

[Lrooth]

Thank you for the responses. Before reading the article and your responses, I Accidently happened on something that impacted the leak. After refilling the pool 3-4 inches, I vacuumed, using the deep end skimmer, shutting off the shallow end skimmer to make the vacuum more intense. It took about 30 minutes. I decided to leave the vacuum head in the deep end to pull the water from the bottom through the filter, hoping to improve the water's clarity. (I hate my new cartridge filter! ). I left it there for several hours. The water stopped leaking a fast rate! In fact, I thought it wasnt leaking at all.

I disconnected the vacuum and let the pool run just using the deep end skimmer. It did leak over night, but only an inch... A much slower rate.

I really believe that the pool concrete is solid, no leaks. The leak detection company ran dye tests at the lights niches and skimmer baskets... No leaks detected. They "heard" the leak at the corner of the pool where the shallow skimmer is located. They labeled the wall return lines " leaking" and floor returns "good". Could the skimmer basket connections be leaking, yet pass the dye test?

We drain the pool down below the wall returns every winter. During the winter, the water raises due to snow and rain. The water makes it up to the skimmer baskets and stays at that point. We actually drain water out of the pool during the winter so the water doesnt hit the ceramic tile border.

My brother started breaking through the concrete near the corner, about a eight inch hole. We can see down about a foot. The dirt doesn't seem that wet. Last year when the leak detection was out, they found very wet dirt under the deck, where the deck ends and the sidewalk begins. It doesn't seem that wet now, but it is damp.

That's my latest update and info. Hope I answered you questions. A plumber can do the fix?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Yeah, a plumber can easily fix it.

Since you found damp earth, you're most likely in the right place.

 

[Lrooth]

Well it's almost a month and our digging is slow progress. We have a hole two feet down and one foot wide, starting at the wall of the skimmer basket to the corner of the pool, where the leak detection company said all the pipes come out of the walks of the pool. Looking for pipes, but Haven't found anything but damp dirt. I am hoping we are close. When we find the pipes, the pool professional will come out and fix the pipes.

The concrete is 4-5 inches thick.... We are using a diamond saw ...but it can't be the best way. Any suggestions on how to find these pipes? Are we not deep enough? The hole not big enough. I'll try and upload pictures.

 

[Bama Rambler]

You're most likely not deep enough.

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

Would like to have an update to the saga, hopefully your solution to it ??

 

[Lrooth]

Still digging. Once we cut through the concrete, I stopped spazzing about the leak. Now I'm focused on finding it. I just wish we had a faster way to dig... I look at the effort and feel like I'm in the flintstone cartoons.

I hope to hit pipes this weekend.

 

[jamesislander]

So any update?

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

Me too, waz up ??

 

[Lrooth]

I never found the leak where we were digging. I continued to lose inches a day. The PS kept telling they would repair it next week. Next week never came. Two weeks ago I had the leak detention company come out again. They found leaks in one skimmer line and the return lines. As a short term fix, they closed off the skimmer and two of four returns. they are coming back to run a camera in the return lines to pin point the leak. There was never a day this summer that I didn't have the hose running. It was hard to keep up with chemicals. We figured we lost almost a thousand gallons a day towards the end. It seemed to get worse. At least I have someone to really fix it now. I have no idea how much it's going to cost.

My daughter is getting married this weekend. Planning a big pool bash on Sunday. The pool isn't leaking at all now. I'll let you know what they find out and what the fix will be.

P.S. one of my guests fell into the whole we dug. Ended up with 10 stitches in his foot. We had tile over the whole. The cover we had didn't hold his 275 weight.

 

[Lrooth]

The leak detection company came back out to camera the lines. Found a large crack in the return line UNDER THE SHALLOW END POOL DECK! My pipes are running underneath my concrete pool! They are coming back in the spring, cutting a hole just big enough to repair the pipe and then they will backfill with cement. I asked how the patch would be "good". They said under the pool wasn't common, but they have done it many times over the years. Then they explained how they angle the cut of the hole, use rebar, add cement so it will stay secure.

Price was a shock! $700 I thought it would be much higher!

The skimmer line, installed 18 years ago, has to be dug up and repaired, too. Price $950

It's scary, but I saw the camera shot of the cracked pipe and it wasn't pretty. Concern...what is to say the entire lines are not bad? The camera didnt show any other areas like the leaking area, but it still crosses my mind.

 

[Lrooth]

Happy Spring everyone! I drained the pool. Leak detection guys coming out tomorrow to begin cutting through bottom of pool shallow end to reach the pipe in order to repair the big leak where I lost two inches a day last season. It was tough to find repair folks to find and then fix this leak. I am praying this season will be better than the last two and all will go well.

 

[Charlie_R]

Good luck! Hope they get it all fixed for you.

 

[Lrooth]

For those of you who would panic because a leak is under the cement pad of the pool floor, it's not so bad. I did panic, imagining thousand of dollars and a ruined pool. I was wrong. I have some pics of the fix below. $700 for the pool floor repair and $950 for the skimmer. I can live with that! I'm sure I paid more than that in excess water bills over the last few years. It was hard finding willing repair vendors. I ended up with American Leak Detection. They had cameras and sound equipment to pinpoint the actual location of the leak.

Although the skimmer was replaced just 10 years ago, it also had a leak at the junction where the pipe meets the skimmer box.





Plans. See the dirt in the pool.... I have lots do power washing to do before filling! Lots if dirt came with the daily snowfalls this winter. The water was clear! Yeah BBB: