Intex Prism 15' (42") - New Install - VERY Slow Leak?

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ktalley1015

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Jun 15, 2020
6
Nashville, TN
I have spent 3+ weeks getting our pool site cleared and leveled, and on this past Saturday we did the final inspection (small rock check, put down thin layer of sand, then put down 2 tarps). After everything looked good, we assembled our pool, and then did a 2-3 inch fill to check level. After a slight adjustment on the low side (using half-buried pavers -- NOTHING touching the liner at all), we started the actual "go live" water fill. After the water level rose to about 8-9 inches, I thought I would walk around the pool and check vertical level on the legs. When I got to the back of the pool (which would be considered the low side IF there is a low side), I saw that the top tarp was a bit wrinkled under that leg. So when I raised the leg a bit to pull it out flat, I noticed a tiny bit of water trickling out from under the liner. NOT GOOD (I thought to myself). I pushed up the liner with both hands, and noticed a small puddle of water on the tarp. I took a towel, dried the area, and did not see any signs of any leak. After another hour or two, I went back and checked that area again. Small puddle had returned. So definitely water coming from somewhere. At that point, I shut off the water filling until I could figure out what to do. I checked all other areas around the edge of pool, and no signs of any water -- just this one 2 foot area in the back. I tried the blue food coloring trick in that general area -- nothing. At this point, it was almost dark outside, so I stopped for the night. This morning, I walked out to check it, and I have maybe 1 cup (at most) of water puddled around the back paver (which is half-buried in the ground). There has been no rain or any other water source, so there MUST be a very small leak somewhere in the liner. Since this back area MIGHT be 1-2 inches lower, then gravity may be in play here and the leak COULD theoretically be further up towards the higher side of the pool (and just slow-trickling down to what I am seeing). How in the world do I find this leak? Even if I drained it and disassembled it, I'm not sure how you find a leak like this. While not a perfect option, is losing 1 cup of water a day an acceptable leak risk (that I can live with for this summer), or is it guaranteed to get worse once I completely fill the pool? Obviously, I cannot afford to keep spending weeks on getting this pool up and running -- school for the kids starts back in August!

I investigated the Intex liner 1-yr warranty options (since this is new pool), but it looks like Intex requires you to ship the liner (prepaid and insured) to them for them to validate that it is a manufacturing defect. That shipping alone would probably cost a lot (not to mention the pain of drying and re-packing that liner into a box!), and then what happens if they say "sorry, you caused this leak"? Do I then have to pay shipping AGAIN to get my liner back? Doesn't sound like a great option on a $300 pool...

Would appreciate ANY ideas, advice, or input on this! I've tried to self-educate as much as possible (youtube, forums, etc.), but I am stumped at this point (not to mention the VERY disappointed children!). Thanks all!
 
It sounds like there is pin-hole somewhere in the bottom of the liner, I would suggest to lower the water to 10-12" and then carefully go over the bottom of the pool starting where the water is collecting and work your way across. Go slow, as it's likely not large. Then use the vinyl patch kit or clear gorilla tape once you find it!
 
Thanks for the quick response, splashpad... When you say "go over the bottom of the pool", do you mean visual inspection of the liner from the inside (looking for a pinhole)? Thanks!
splashpad said:
It sounds like there is pin-hole somewhere in the bottom of the liner, I would suggest to lower the water to 10-12" and then carefully go over the bottom of the pool starting where the water is collecting and work your way across. Go slow, as it's likely not large. Then use the vinyl patch kit or clear gorilla tape once you find it!
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Tipher said:
I thought our new pool had a small leak too...but then decided it was just condensation from the cold water. With that being said. Are you sure it's leaking?
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Anything is possible here. Considering how careful I was with the ground prep (and the double tarps underneath), if there IS a liner leak, it would almost have to be a pre-existing hole/defect (imho). How much water did you see initially (from condensation)? Also, if it WERE condensation, shouldn't I see it in other areas of the pool (underneath the liner) -- not just concentrated in one small 2-foot wide area on this "low" end (low = 2" max out of level, hopefully less)?

Thanks for the suggestion/thought, Tipher!
 
We had just one area..then later finally started seeing it on the other side. It very well could be a pin hole. Hopefully not though. I thought I read somewhere Intex has you just send cuts of the liner back to them. But I don't know. I never have heard from them on some stuff. Guessing still shut down.
 
I would try my best to find the leak and patch it if you plan to use the pool this summer. I shipped something back to Intex in mid April and still haven't got my refund. My worry with leaving it is that it might get bigger. No idea 'how' to find it since fortunately I havent' had to do that, but maybe use a magnifier?
 
My first Intex had a pinhole leak, right out of the box. Patched it and it was fine after that. I agree that you need to go over the pool bottom very carefully.
 
Oh my... what fun I am having.... (NOT!). I have crawled around my pool (about 6-7 inches of water) in bright sunlight and do not see anything in/on the liner that looks like a pinhole. I started in the area where I am seeing the water, and worked my way around, but nothing. Even though it is slow, it is clearly leaking somewhere (I have 2 different "trickles" off of my top tarp onto the ground around the pool. Again, we are talking like 3-4 cups of water over the past 2 days. I even had the bright idea of carefully sliding a small rubber hose up under the liner as far as I could reach/push, and using my air compressor to "gently" blast some air up under the liner to see if any bubbles might surface. It created a nice liner "air pocket" that I could push around a little, but never was able to see any bubbles.

Unless there is some other magic trick to finding a small/pinhole leak, I may just be stuck with trying to fill it and ride it out for the summer (and pray that it does not get worse). But I really don't like the thought of that.

If I completely emptied the thing, what would be the best way to find such a leak? Lift it up somehow and try to see if any bright sunlight hits the ground under it (I've seen several people use that approach for pinholes)?
 

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I’m at a loss here... I feel like it has to be somewhat close to where you are finding the water, but I got nothing.
 
Well, just for entertainment value, I'll continue to post updates to my leak-or-no-leak journey. :) After letting it (and my brain) rest for a couple of days, I decided to drain about 5 inches of the water out (leave maybe 3 inches) and see if I could crawl under the liner (pushing the water to the other side) and try to get an idea of WHERE the previously-noticed water actually starts appearing. Actually, before I even started this, I thought that things outside the pool had mostly dried up (where water had previously puddled a bit around pavers). When I pushed the liner back, I really only found signs of water in an area about 3-4 feet wide, and only going back toward the center about 2 feet -- everything else was dry as a bone. I dried everything with a big towel, and let it sit for a while. Rechecked and saw no signs of moisture. Let it sit overnight, and just rechecked it this morning. In the same general area, I could feel some dampness with my hand, and saw maybe 3-4 droplets of water between the liner and tarp. Maybe this IS a condensation issue (although it still logically seems like I should be seeing widespread dampness vs. only one area). I dried the area again, and will recheck it in a few hours. If I don't see anything, we're moving forward with the full water fill, and praying for best results!

Thanks to everyone for being so helpful! Being an AGP rookie, I'm sure I will have more questions along the way! :)
 
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ktalley1015 said:
Well, just for entertainment value, I'll continue to post updates to my leak-or-no-leak journey. :) After letting it (and my brain) rest for a couple of days, I decided to drain about 5 inches of the water out (leave maybe 3 inches) and see if I could crawl under the liner (pushing the water to the other side) and try to get an idea of WHERE the previously-noticed water actually starts appearing. Actually, before I even started this, I thought that things outside the pool had mostly dried up (where water had previously puddled a bit around pavers). When I pushed the liner back, I really only found signs of water in an area about 3-4 feet wide, and only going back toward the center about 2 feet -- everything else was dry as a bone. I dried everything with a big towel, and let it sit for a while. Rechecked and saw no signs of moisture. Let it sit overnight, and just rechecked it this morning. In the same general area, I could feel some dampness with my hand, and saw maybe 3-4 droplets of water between the liner and tarp. Maybe this IS a condensation issue (although it still logically seems like I should be seeing widespread dampness vs. only one area). I dried the area again, and will recheck it in a few hours. If I don't see anything, we're moving forward with the full water fill, and praying for best results!

Thanks to everyone for being so helpful! Being an AGP rookie, I'm sure I will have more questions along the way! :)
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Hi - I know it's been almost 2-years, but curious whether you ever found a leak. I'm having the same issue you described; a tiny leak that will be nearly impossible to find. I ordered some goggles and will do a visual inspection this weekend, but I doubt it will yield results. Thanks
 
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