The sand filter, pump, and Polaris booster all sit on a cement pad. After not using the pool, and letting it sit, for at least one year, I decided I was going to get it up and running again. When I turned it on today, water was coming out, pretty rapidly, from under the concrete pad. What could it be?
leak
- Thread starter Pamela01
- Start date
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,759
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
It sounds like perhaps some of your pool plumbing (PVC pipes) may go underground and up to the equipment pad. "Maybe" one of those pipes is damaged. Maybe. The fact you saw water when turning the system ON would indicate a pressure side leak - something after the pump & filter on its way back to the pool. Maybe post a pic of your set-up?
When to take the picture and my phone died. I will get picture when my phone is charged, if it is still light enough for photo.
When I noticed the leak, I dug out the dirt trying to find the pipe, then there was so much water, that I dug out more dirt, trying to devert the water elsewhere, so that I could see where I thought the water was coming from.
All the little trenches that I dug are filled up with water, and are now overflowing. Because the pump is not running, but there is so much water, I believe it must be leaking before it makes it to the pump. Just a few minutes ago, I plugged the holes in the skimmers. Hopefully that will stop the water and it will dry out overnight, so that I can see.
The water is coming from beneath the conceret slab so forceful that there is a small ripple.
It seems that when I was digging out the little trenches to dervert the water, that I would have ran across a pipe, but the only one that I came across was one carrying electrical cords inside. I also found pieces of broken pipe, but they were filled with mud, and I believe they must have been left after some kind of repair.
When I noticed the leak, I dug out the dirt trying to find the pipe, then there was so much water, that I dug out more dirt, trying to devert the water elsewhere, so that I could see where I thought the water was coming from.
All the little trenches that I dug are filled up with water, and are now overflowing. Because the pump is not running, but there is so much water, I believe it must be leaking before it makes it to the pump. Just a few minutes ago, I plugged the holes in the skimmers. Hopefully that will stop the water and it will dry out overnight, so that I can see.
The water is coming from beneath the conceret slab so forceful that there is a small ripple.
It seems that when I was digging out the little trenches to dervert the water, that I would have ran across a pipe, but the only one that I came across was one carrying electrical cords inside. I also found pieces of broken pipe, but they were filled with mud, and I believe they must have been left after some kind of repair.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,759
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
If water is flowing "out" when the system is OFF, then the leak could very-well be on the suction side. Plugging the skimmers was a good move. Might be best to tackle this one tomorrow with fresh daylight, energy, and spirit. Hang in there and don't let it get you down too much. Everything can be fixed.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,759
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
You might also check to ensure all valves are closed to/from the equipment pad. Depending on where eh potential break may be, it may help.
The water is coming out right where the concrete pad ends to the left of the gray tube.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,759
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
By gray tube, are you referring to the electrical conduit that is laying flat going from left to right? Or, are you referring to that tiny gray tube that goes vertical and has a small white couple on it? That small tube doesn't appear to be connected to anything. Humm. Looks very wet & muddy to the far left of the image, but I wanted to make sure.
So your plumbing doesn't appear to actually come "up" thought the concrete like some do, but one of the pipes may be routed under it a bit. Hard to tell from my perspective. I do see now that you have a booster pump for cleaning which, if a pressure cleaner, pushes water through that skinny hose to the PVC pipe on the left going back into the ground. Do you have that specific pump OFF? Times like this it's good to rule-out one thing at a time. The other two large PVC pipes that are slightly angled are suction lines "pulling" water from the pool (i.e. skimmer(s) and/or main drain).
Yes, to the left of the large gray tube, which is an electric conduit. The other tube, is PVS with a big electrical wire inside. It was buried, but I dug it up when I was trying to find the leak. I believe this PVC electric tube, is bring electricity from the house's breaker box to the pool breaker box.
The pump you are referring to is a Polaris booster, and yes it is off.
Yes, the other two large PVC pipes are coming from the two skimmers on one shut off, and the other the main drain.
Yes it is wet and muddy, and that is why I dug trenches, trying to divert the water away from what I wanted to look at, but that didn't help, it kept filling up with water. Now that I have plugged the skimmers, I don't believe water is coming through as fast, although I expected the dirt to absorb the water during the night, and it be dry today, but it is still very wet.
I am going to send you another picture from where I saw the water coming out.
The pump you are referring to is a Polaris booster, and yes it is off.
Yes, the other two large PVC pipes are coming from the two skimmers on one shut off, and the other the main drain.
Yes it is wet and muddy, and that is why I dug trenches, trying to divert the water away from what I wanted to look at, but that didn't help, it kept filling up with water. Now that I have plugged the skimmers, I don't believe water is coming through as fast, although I expected the dirt to absorb the water during the night, and it be dry today, but it is still very wet.
I am going to send you another picture from where I saw the water coming out.
When I saw the leak for the first time, it was almost directly across, to the left of the shut off of the skimmers and floor drain. I have laid the shovel handle across from where I saw it.
Today, it seems, the skimmers have lost all suction, or at least, when you put your hand over the hole inside the skimmer there is no suction.
I really don't know what to do know?
Today, it seems, the skimmers have lost all suction, or at least, when you put your hand over the hole inside the skimmer there is no suction.
I really don't know what to do know?
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,759
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
So around noon you plugged the skimmers in hopes of slowing the potential leak. Now you are showing no suction, so I'm guessing you have opened the suction line and have been trying to run the system again to see what's happening correct? If you only have the suction line open, trying to prime the pump, and water is not flowing, that could be the line with a break in it. Have you tried closing the skimmer line and running only the drain line? Curious to know what happened. At this point, systematic, testing of each area one section at a time will help to narrow-down the faulty area.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,252
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I think you have to carefully hand dig from the skimmer line where it comes out of the ground and follow it and see where it goes and if you find the break.
Or you can hire a plumber who has a camera on a snake. He can cut the line and drop the camera in and see what he finds. That type of setup also has a tracker and he can follow the path the pipe takes.
Or you can hire a plumber who has a camera on a snake. He can cut the line and drop the camera in and see what he finds. That type of setup also has a tracker and he can follow the path the pipe takes.
I plugged the skimmers to make certain the leak was coming from the skimmers. When plugged they continued to leak. I have two skimmers, and tried to find out if leak was coming from a particular one. I believe the leak must be coming from both.
I even got a shop vac, and sucked the water up from the ground, but could not get it dry, it was as if the water was seeping up from the ground.
I don't believe that the floor drain is contributing to the leak.
I then unplugged both skimmers, and there was no suction on either one.
Could you please walk me through the steps, how I would systematically test each area, to help narrow-down the faulty area.
What makes it difficult is the dirty water. You can't see through it to know exactly what is going on. The only way to determine anything is if the volume of dirty water increases.
I even got a shop vac, and sucked the water up from the ground, but could not get it dry, it was as if the water was seeping up from the ground.
I don't believe that the floor drain is contributing to the leak.
I then unplugged both skimmers, and there was no suction on either one.
Could you please walk me through the steps, how I would systematically test each area, to help narrow-down the faulty area.
What makes it difficult is the dirty water. You can't see through it to know exactly what is going on. The only way to determine anything is if the volume of dirty water increases.
Also, as I said before, I found at least 4 pieces of PVC, 2 pieces at least 1 foot long. I believe this PVC must be from an old repair because they are filled with mud, or at least from a repair around the same area as the current leak.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,759
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
That may or may not be a factor if the gauge is bad. We'll have to come back to that one. For leak detection and being systematic about tracking it down, here are some additional thoughts:
- Turn off the system. Fill-up pool to normal level then plug all ports if possible (skimmer holes, drain, return jets, cleaner port etc). The intent is to make the pool shell "water tight". This is more of a static test. Now you mark the full waterline and monitor.
- At this point, if you can't plug the drain, the others will be. So if the water drops you know it is from the main drain - either the drain itself or the PVC line to it. The only exception would be if the plaster had a crack in it, and we won't go there.
- If no water drops from the drain, open another port and watch the water level. You do this one port/line at a time. A pool full of water creates a good amount of force. If there is a break in a line, the water will try to go out of that break, even with the pump off. So watch the waterline closely from where it was full.
If this static test doesn't reveal any obvious water drops, then we move-on to pressurized inspections with the system on & pushing water. That's a basic way to narrow-down which line may be bad. Questions?
It is raining today, so no working on the pool.
Does it matter what line the water is coming from? What is the advantage of knowing that? Water is coming from beneth the concrete pad. It seems, if I could get under the pad, to see exactly what pipe the water was coming from, then I could repair that. It seems that even if I knew what pipe it was coming from, I would still have to get underneath the pad to repair it. So, what is the advantage at this point of knowing what pipe the water is coming from? Either way I would still have to do the same thing . . . . get underneath the pad. Right?
.
Does it matter what line the water is coming from? What is the advantage of knowing that? Water is coming from beneth the concrete pad. It seems, if I could get under the pad, to see exactly what pipe the water was coming from, then I could repair that. It seems that even if I knew what pipe it was coming from, I would still have to get underneath the pad to repair it. So, what is the advantage at this point of knowing what pipe the water is coming from? Either way I would still have to do the same thing . . . . get underneath the pad. Right?
.