After 10 years a leak!

[dschlic1]

My in ground concrete pool has a leak. I am loosing about 1/4" of water a day with the pool cover on. So I have to a) find the leak and b) repair it.

Some background. When we first filled the pool, it drained down rather quickly. The pool contractor discovered that one of the bottom drains had cracked. These are made of some type of plastic. He used JB Weld epoxy to repair the leak. That was ten years ago. So one of the first places I am going to check is the two bottom drains.

I intend to try using a syringe with colored water first. Any other recommendations? Amazon has some special dye made by Anderson. Would that be better than food coloring?

And for b, any recommendations as how to repair? If indeed the main drain is leaking, access will be difficult as they are under 5 1/2 ft of water!

 

[Texas Splash]

If you are able to plug & isolate that main drain (MD) line (or any other for that matter), that can also be a way to confirm which branch in the plumbing may be leaking. Make sure to turn-off the pump (breaker too) so that nothing tries to operate when you have lines plugged. But that's a common way to check for a leak. If you do indeed find the MD to be leaking, repair might depend on where it's accessible right at the drain, or something underground. I suspect you'll learn more once you're able to inspect it.

 

[dschlic1]

Over the weekend I will be testing with dye to see if I can locate the leak. If it is the main drain, I will need to remove the anti-vortex cover which will be a real pain.