Buying a house - possible pool leak

[jhc32]

Help! We just visited a house a we loved it. Everything was great until we were walking in the area past the pool. The backyard slopes toward a park. Past the end of the pool there’s a landscaped area then a grassy hill. My realtor and I noticed the grass closest to the pool was very wet. There was black mud and just a lot of water. Is this an indication of a major leak?
We’re concerned that the water damage could compromise the pool.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Has it rained there lately? Do you see any pool overflow device directly above that area on the pool? Or an outlet down there when an overflow pipe lets out?

Can you get a pic of the entire pool and equipment area and we can see what you've got if you buy the house??
What kind of pool is it- gunite, vinyl or fiberglass?

Maddie

 

[scdaren]

Whether it's the pool or something else, you should find out where that water is coming from before finalizing the purchase.

 

[jhc32]

Has it rained there lately? Do you see any pool overflow device directly above that area on the pool? Or an outlet down there when an overflow pipe lets out?

Can you get a pic of the entire pool and equipment area and we can see what you've got if you buy the house??
What kind of pool is it- gunite, vinyl or fiberglass?

Maddie

I don’t recall any big rains lately. I did take pics of the equipment. I did not see any water or wet areas around it. It was at the base of the backyard where I saw the wet spots.

 

[Chrissykr]

Is there an irrigation system? My neighbor‘s irrigation has a leak and the sidewalk is always wet.

 

[jhc32]

Is there an irrigation system? My neighbor‘s irrigation has a leak and the sidewalk is always wet.

There’s no irrigation system as far as I know.

 

[batesjer]

It could be a pool leak or something less sinister like drainage outflow from either the deck or the pool. A low spot adjacent to the pool would be a likely spot for those to intentionally drain into. Also around me public parks are typically built on areas that flood since nothing can really be built there, you could be seeing residual ground water from heavy rains days ago. If I were you I'd have my realtor ask their realtor. If its something innocent you'll know and if they don't have a good answer I'd be more concerned. Keep in mind if you offer on the home and you don't waive inspections you can back out if something comes up. Have a pool inspection done by a professional, not by your home inspector.

 

[Rich D]

Have a pool inspection done by a professional, not by your home inspector.

Can not stress that one enough.. There have been a few posts on here where the "Home inspector" has missed some glaring issues with pools. Most of them have a disclaimer about pools so they just don't bother to even look for the obvious issues. In addition I would not trust any of these supposed "home inspectors" to find real issues. Most seem to be failed contractors that have passed some meaningless course and have a "certificate" (just my humble opinion)

I also agree there could be many reasons for this wet area. One thing I would note is is most likely a somewhat new issue because if it was something that occurred on a regular basis like a drainage outfall then they would not have been able to get a established lawn there. This "appears" to be something new and most likely a issue that needs to be fixed. Make sure they have some sort of proof if they try to say it is a normal condition.