Best way to patch a leak? - Update

[Jerryrigged]

Hi everybody,
Because of the wonderful info on the site & in the forums I've been able to handle basically everything since I got a house with a pool a year ago so thank you. I've not had to post until now.

What I didn't know at the time because I had no prior experience was that there's a leak. I thought it was odd how fast water evaporated but in the summer the rains kept things full and even had to pump down when there was excessive rain. In the last couple months it's been dry and I got that 'this isn't right' feeling and did a bucket test.
Bucket test showed a very clear leak of around 200g per day roughly. And yeah, I know I should have figured this out sooner but here I am.
Did a basic dye check and found a hole next to one of the returns. Drained the pool down a bit so I could investigate and found a hole. I picked out the loose granules and used a syringe to flush out any remaining loose material and got a decent amount of sand which is a bit disturbing I guess.

TLDR
I have pool repair epoxy ready to go, but wanted to know if there's any better option then just the pool putty itself. Is there anything other sealer that could/should be used or is the epoxy good enough for this kind of thing?
Gap is about 1" long and roughly 1/2" deep after removing the loose stuff & sand. I attached some photos of the hole & the resulting sand that washed out if that helps.

Also I think this is a type of Pebble Tec finish. anybody know specifically what to call it?

Thanks for your input,
- Tom

 

[an1vrsy]

Although, you have been on the site for a year. Welcome to TFP!

Good job finding the leak. I recently had a leak in my attached spa. It was patched with a two part epoxy. Since my pool finish (quartz) was under warranty the quartz plaster company patched it at no cost to me. He chipped out the surrounding area as you did. So, good job on cleaning up the area first. Sorry, I didn’t take pictures of the product he used. I am sure as long as it is an approved for pool two part epoxy you’ll be fine. But hang on I’m sure more experienced posters will be along shortly.

 

[Jerryrigged]

Thanks for the info. I've been reading more and have found 2 other threads where leaks were repaired either under warranty or by leak repair companies with epoxy so I guess it's probably just the preferred method.
Just kind of feels like there should be some silicone injectable or something that seals/coats better and then would be capped off by the putty.

 

[Jerryrigged]

Bonus tip -
I used the granules that my vacuum pulled up from the filter sock bag to get some matching material to press into the epoxy as it started to set and had been all packed in and smoothed out.
I think it turned out excellent and so far no leaks.
Patch is around 6 - 8 o'clock

 

[kimkats]

What a great tip! You did a great job! If I did not know where to look I would not have found it!