I have an odd problem. My pool water had risen to the coping. I released 1-2 inches and within the next couple of days the level was back up. I released another inch using a sump pump. I checked the skimmer and all appeared to be fine. The next morning I had lost about 5 inches of water and the motor was running. I shut off the motor and the pool guy checked everything and no obvious problems noted. The leak detection company didn't find any obvious leaks. The hydrostatic release valve had been closed previously. The pool light was removed, resealed and replaced. No obvious problems found. I'm getting ready to add water and turn on the motor mid-week. We're in the midst of a drought and I don't want to add water just to lose it.... Has anyone experienced a similar problem? Thank you.
pool losing water when motor running
- Thread starter birkme
- Start date
Welcome to TFP!
Any chance you left the sump pump in the pool after you shut it off?
Any chance you left the sump pump in the pool after you shut it off?
Hello. No I always remove the sump pump from the pool after I use it. Good thought though. Tomorrow we are going to have to add a minimal amount of water and then turn the filter motor back on. The water level has remained constant which is having 1 inch of gunnite exposed; but the pool filter has not been run since I turned it off last Tuesday morning upon noticing the problem except when the testing was going on. The pool detector company thinks the problem has been fixed because the water level has remained constant since they left; but the pool filter has not been run since then either. The leak detector company 1) checked the lines and all were ok; 2) checked the hydrostatic release valve which had been turned off previously and 3) remove/reset the pool light. Losing 5 inches of water from Monday evening until Tuesday morning is a lot of water to lose. I appreciate your help. Thank you!
If your filter has a waste line, have you verified that no water is flowing from the waste port when the pump is on?
Hello. I'm not sure if that has been checked. We will check that tomorrow when the pool guy is here. Thank you... I appreciate your help and will keep you posted.
JohnT has a good point. I drained water off of my pool due to rain and when I put the multi-port back into the circulate position it did not seal 100%. When the pump cut on I was pumping a small amount of water out of my waste line while the rest was going into the pool. Now when I am finished draining or backwashing and I have moved the multi-port lever back to circulate I turn the pump on and verify nothing is coming out of my waste line.
Hi Jason and JohnT. THANK YOU!!! I'm making notes of the recommendations. Jason when I use the sump pump I attach the hose and electrical cord placing the sump pump onto the top pool step. The filter isn't on when this is being done. When I've drained enough water out of the pool I remove the electrical cord and then remove the sump pump from the top step setting it by the edge of the pool. I'm concerned because I don't think the problem is solved because the filter hasn't been run. I'd feel better if I ran the filter and the water level didn't decrease. That test will be run tomorrow after we check the waste line and see if my pool filter has a multi-port level and verify that everything is sealed. I'll update when the testing is completed tomorrow. This is a good place for people to check for known problems. Excellent site. I didn't know it existed until I experienced this problem. Thank you!!!!!!!
Hi again. I just called the guy I'd called yesterday regarding the Pentair Pool Cartridge Filter model cc320P. I asked him about your questions. He said that the multi-port is used with sand or de filters and not with the cartridge filters. Regarding the waste line he said that would depend on what the installation person did. To release water we normally turn the switch at the top of the filter. I will check it out tomorrow when my pool guy is here. Thank you again.