We just moved in to a new home with an inground pool. We had to do some work to get the pool ready for use and did it ourselves (cleaning, patching, plumbing). Everything looked great so we filled the pool. The morning after we filled the pool, we realized we lost more than 2 inches over night. I thought I had it figured out that we had a suction side leak as it seemed like we only lost water when the pump was off. I plugged the skimmer holes at night but this did not help. I decided to let the water leak as far as it would go until it stopped. It stopped about 5 inches below the skimmer boxes, several inches below the return outlets and about 2 inches above the light. This told me, or so I thought, that the pool itself was not leaking, but it had to be the plumbing.
Looking at the pool I realized that the water seemed to stop leaking at where I would figure the underground plumbing would be. But this doesn't make sense to me. If it were the skimmer lines, then it seems to me there would be no water in the skimmer boxes - but there was. If it was the pump side, then how did the water level drop several inches below the return lines? What else IN the pool could be leaking? Could it be the steps? It doesn't seem reasonable to me that it was the main drain because wouldn't the water leak all the way if it were?
Yesterday, I opened up the lines going to the pump and they were full of water - above the ground. So doesn't that rule out a leak in the skimmer line?
I know the easy thing to do is to call a Leak Detection Company, which is what I did, but they cannot come for a couple weeks, and they want a minimum of 400.00 for the first hour, then 115.00 for each additional hour. There has to be some logic to this.
Can someone please help me think this thing through?
Thank you!
25,000 gallon inground with vinyl liner
Pentair pump; sand filter
Looking at the pool I realized that the water seemed to stop leaking at where I would figure the underground plumbing would be. But this doesn't make sense to me. If it were the skimmer lines, then it seems to me there would be no water in the skimmer boxes - but there was. If it was the pump side, then how did the water level drop several inches below the return lines? What else IN the pool could be leaking? Could it be the steps? It doesn't seem reasonable to me that it was the main drain because wouldn't the water leak all the way if it were?
Yesterday, I opened up the lines going to the pump and they were full of water - above the ground. So doesn't that rule out a leak in the skimmer line?
I know the easy thing to do is to call a Leak Detection Company, which is what I did, but they cannot come for a couple weeks, and they want a minimum of 400.00 for the first hour, then 115.00 for each additional hour. There has to be some logic to this.
Can someone please help me think this thing through?
Thank you!
25,000 gallon inground with vinyl liner
Pentair pump; sand filter