Hello all,
I previously posted a few days ago when things were going swimmingly! Things have took a turn quickly. A little background- I bought a foreclosed house a few months ago and the house/pool had been vacant for three years. I needed to buy a new pump, but other than that the liner and plumbing were in surprisingly good shape (according to local pool guy) and the water line was still high (about at the skimmer). When cleaning out all of the muck, getting the chemistry right, filtering the pool and defeating the algae, the water level was very constant.
Then 2 days ago I noticed the water line dropping alarmingly fast. I initially thought it must be the steps because I was cleaning them with a wire brush to get rid of some brown muck (vitamin C did not get rid of most of it). I did this because of my concern that there was some algae that had adhered to the steps and was in protection mode and I could not detect such a small amount of algae with the OCLT test (I am a worrier). Anyway, when brushing the steps I also peeled off some silicon sealant between the strip that secures the stairs, and the stairs themselves. However, this seemed odd because what I read stated that there is a gasket behind there and the silicon sealant really is not necessary. So I resealed anyway with 2 part epoxy. Unfortunately, the water level has continued to drop 1/2 " from 8 pm last night to 7 am this morning. I have tried a dye test around the common suspected problems (return lines, skimmer, stairs where I eopxyed, light) and I have not found anything. Also, I still cannot quite see the bottom of the deep end (still a bit too cloudy). I have gone underwater and looked at it, and it looks fine. Thoughts as to what this may be, a better way to locate the leak or if it is time to call in a professional? I am wondering if I should let the water continue to leak out until it stops which might help me locate the leak, or if it would be prudent to call someone and to get working on this now to prevent damage to the surrounding area?
Thanks!
Scott
I previously posted a few days ago when things were going swimmingly! Things have took a turn quickly. A little background- I bought a foreclosed house a few months ago and the house/pool had been vacant for three years. I needed to buy a new pump, but other than that the liner and plumbing were in surprisingly good shape (according to local pool guy) and the water line was still high (about at the skimmer). When cleaning out all of the muck, getting the chemistry right, filtering the pool and defeating the algae, the water level was very constant.
Then 2 days ago I noticed the water line dropping alarmingly fast. I initially thought it must be the steps because I was cleaning them with a wire brush to get rid of some brown muck (vitamin C did not get rid of most of it). I did this because of my concern that there was some algae that had adhered to the steps and was in protection mode and I could not detect such a small amount of algae with the OCLT test (I am a worrier). Anyway, when brushing the steps I also peeled off some silicon sealant between the strip that secures the stairs, and the stairs themselves. However, this seemed odd because what I read stated that there is a gasket behind there and the silicon sealant really is not necessary. So I resealed anyway with 2 part epoxy. Unfortunately, the water level has continued to drop 1/2 " from 8 pm last night to 7 am this morning. I have tried a dye test around the common suspected problems (return lines, skimmer, stairs where I eopxyed, light) and I have not found anything. Also, I still cannot quite see the bottom of the deep end (still a bit too cloudy). I have gone underwater and looked at it, and it looks fine. Thoughts as to what this may be, a better way to locate the leak or if it is time to call in a professional? I am wondering if I should let the water continue to leak out until it stops which might help me locate the leak, or if it would be prudent to call someone and to get working on this now to prevent damage to the surrounding area?
Thanks!
Scott