Gurgle noise in the ground near side jets

[ephillips81]

The main jets are fine, but the side jets that are near a step in the deep end of my unground pool have never been very strong. Almost no push. The other day my wife noted that they were actually pushing a decent amount of water. Then yesterday I put some water clarifier in near them which usually (slowly) gets dispersed and I noticed nothing. So I turned off the main jets to allow the pressure to go to those side jets. It’s started gurgling air and I could hear the gurgle in the ground about a foot away from the jets. It was pushing clear water. But then I put my finger in to plug one jet and dirt particles and sand shot out. The dirt looked. It’s like broken chunks of leaves so not like ground dirt. I’m wondering if there’s a leak that happens (out of nowhere???) or if it’s always been clogged. I’ve lived in this house for about 1 1/2 years. What should I look for to determine a leak or if it’s just clogged. *also important to note. Previous owners did not care for the house. So the pool was green and gross. So it is possible that they have just been clogged for a long time and maybe the clog got pushed recently?

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

We don't recommend continuous use of clarifiers. Read Clarifier - Further Reading

Sounds like it could be a leak or a clog. If the jet now flows freely and you never see dirt or leaves coming out from it again, and you don't lose water from the pool, then good chance it was a clog.

If you continue seeing sand and leaves and hearing gurgling in the ground then it is time to search for a leak.