We noticed a significant leak throughout the 2024 pool season. We just put up with it for the whole season, which for us ended around Sept 1. We had to add much more water than normal (dropped about 2-3 inches per week, which for our pool is roughly 2000-3000 gallons). The leak caused at least 100 sq ft of lawn to remain soaked all summer of 2024, with the leak being in an area corresponding with a skimmer but also relatively close to one of the return inlets. The leak may have begun a year or so earlier, but not until last year was it large enough to soak a significant area of the lawn. Today (5/28/25) we are finishing up a SLAM and note the lawn is again soaked in the area of one of the two skimmers. We have had to add water during the SLAM in order to keep skimmers working. As we have no air in the return line (pump self-primes fine with no air visible in the pump during prolonged operation) is it accurate to assume that the leak is not in the suction piping? Is it also accurate to assume that the only two realistic possibilities are either (i) the leak is in the return piping (i.e., the pressure side), or perhaps more likely, (ii) the leak is in the skimmer body itself? Do you agree that it is unlikely that the source of the leak is both (i) and (ii)? Any suggestions on how to find the source of the leak? The decking beside the soaked lawn is 8 ft wide, and is composed of 4" of steel- reinforced concrete topped with 16x16" slate tiles. Cutting up concrete and tile is neither easy nor pleasant, but we can do it ourselves if it proves to be necessary. Any advice on how to proceed? Is it possible to remove all of the plastic pieces from the skimmer to look for leaks in the concrete body of the skimmer and the junction between the return pipe and the skimmer body? Your advice will be most appreciated.
Leak is Soaking Lawn
- Thread starter Bo Hurley
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 66,991
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Thanks for your reply. We have had significant rain overnight and I made the mistake of failing to turn off a fill water hose all night! I will supply pictures once the deck dries out and I have the pool back to a reasonable operating level. Furthermore, due to rain over the last several days, it will be two or three days until the lawn dries outside of the leak area. Even when that happens, there will not be a significant difference in the appearance of the lawn in the leak area. The leak area will just feel saturated with water when walking on it, unlike the lawn outside the leak-affected zone. I will post pics as soon as possible. Thanks again. Looking forward to your advice....