Doubtful, the defect will leak regardless of that valve's position.
is closing off the drain a DIY job? Put on my weight belt, SCUBA tank and sit at the bottom of the pool to close it off? Expandable rubber plug? I just don't know if the leak is in the pipe or where the pipe connects to the pool, so the leak is outside of the pipe.
Well if you can remove the cover plate and install an expandable rubber plug, then that will probably determine which side the leak is on. If the leak stops, then leave the valve at the pad closed and you're pretty much done. If you install that plug correctly, you might not need to do anything else to close off the drain.
If you decide to do this yourself, before you remove that cover plate, turn off all the breakers to the pad. You do not want that pump coming on while you're working on an exposed suction port.
And like in all diving, don't go in alone. At least have the wife watching you and ready to assist should you need help.
A leak in the drain or pipe would account for the symptoms. It would drain water while the pump was off, and suck air while the pump was on.
And while I appreciate having to acknowledge the wife's input, it's not really up for a vote. Refilling a leaking pool can be just an added water bill expense, but it can also cause all kinds of other problems. Like undermining the soil under your pool, or deck, which could eventually be a catastrophic failure that would cost a whole lot more than $5,500 to fix. A leak can't be ignored, or voted away.
Welcome to pool ownership...
When I bought my house with pool, I had no idea what a pool entails, nor was that explained to me by my realtor or anyone else (I had never owned a pool before). They look great. They're enticing. They look like nothing but fun. But then the reality sinks in. It's not like a patio that needs little or no attention. Or a lawn that you can ignore and let die and remove if you don't feel like having a lawn any more. Nope. A pool is forever. You can't ignore it. You can't stop taking care of it. You can't leave it alone when you travel. And you don't have much of a say in what it costs to maintain. It costs as much or more to get rid of it than it does to put one in. Even just filling it in can be a major construction project. And it doesn't leave home at 18 and stop costing you money. No, by the time it gets to be that age, it actually gets even
more expensive! And that's if it was built well and taken care of before it became yours. It's a dirty little secret that we've all had to learn on our own...
So the only thing to do is enjoy the heck out it. Invite your friends and family and neighbors to enjoy it, too. It's going to cost you either way, so might as well get as much joy out of it as possible to make up for the expense. I automated the heck out of mine, so it's really not much work. But I regularly squirrel away some money for it, because I know it'll need some work eventually. Don't get me wrong, I like mine, and I wouldn't trade it away. I just had to adjust my expectations about it. Something you and your wife will have to eventually do, too.
