Leaking spa - potentially through skimmer

[jennz4b]

Hello TFP-

Here is a picture of a crack in my plaster spa that is connected to my pool, the crack in this stucco is wet always and right by the skimmer basket. The pool is also newly replastered and still leaks so I hypothesize that the leak is coming from the skimmer somehow. Also, the skimmer never fills with water - it just drain’s immediately with a large sucking sound. It seems like that’s a bad sign right? How bad is my problem potentially? How do I ensure this gets fixed properly? Thank you!

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

Can you supply a picture of where the coping meets the deck in the area between the spa and the pool?

 

[jennz4b]

 

[jennz4b]

Are these helpful? Thank you!

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

Yes they are, I’m assuming that’s a foam strip against the spa wall and the pool deck?

 

[jennz4b]

Yes they are, I’m assuming that’s a foam strip against the spa wall and the pool deck?

The ring around the base of the spa? It’s kind of a cement-like material.

 

[jennz4b]

The ring around the base of the spa? It’s kind of a cement-like material.

 

[ajw22]

What is your spa water level?

Is the water half to 2/3 up the skimmer mouth?

It looks like your spa water level is too low.

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

Any type of water leak is serious no matter how slow or small when it comes to a pool or spa.
In order to know exactly what is leaking the stucco on the outside radius of the spa must be removed and the Shotcrete exposed and possibly removed in order to see if it’s a crack that is completely through the shell or the plumbing that is leaking.

 

[ajw22]

I see all sorts of cracks in the bottom and side of the skimmer.

This does not look like a modern plastic skimmer. It looks like something custom shaped from concrete and plaster. Without knowing what materials are inside it can’t be said if it can be sealed or should be replaced.

 

[jennz4b]

Thank you

 

[jennz4b]

What is your spa water level?

Is the water half to 2/3 up the skimmer mouth?

It looks like your spa water level is too low.

Because the pool and spa water is connected- or because of how it is connected— I can’t change the level of the spa- I can add more water to both but the spa still does this

 

[ajw22]

Describe to us and show us how the pool and spa water are connected.

 

[jennz4b]

Thank you for asking! disclaimer- never owned a pool before.
the spa and pool share a pump and filter and heater. If the pump is turned off, the spa water drops because the pool is slightly downhill and in the ground, while the spa is partly above ground. In order to heat the spa, I must turn two valves to “spa mode.” when I turn the valves back to “ pool mode” the heated spa water mixes with the unheated pool water. I will take a picture of the pump in the morning when it is light. Supposedly a “ spa check valve“ has been installed but the spa still drains quite a bit when the pumps are off. I was given to understand that the check valve would stop this, but perhaps this was not true- or perhaps this is related to the skimmer leaking. The pool repair people also installed an “ air inlet “ but the purpose of this is not clear to me.

 

[ajw22]

You do not have the usual spillover that connects the spa water to the pool water.

You must have a pipe in your spa that drains to the pool. Find it and show us where both ends are located in the spa and pool.

 

[jennz4b]

Thanks for your question. Can’t see any of the pipes, so I turned off the pump and the spa has- so far- drained to this level ( below the skimmer intake). I will monitor how far it continues to drain.

 

[jennz4b]

I’m going to search this site for a way to test which pipe water is coming into when spa drains

 

[jennz4b]

When I turned the pump off, the spa drained all they way to the two bottom drain holes. Hard to say which one goes to the pool- if I had to guess I would say the pipe with the drain cover on the wall rather than the floor. I couldn’t tell for sure where the pipe draining water from the spa goes into the pool- the closest place is pictured below. When the spa filled enough to drain into the skimmer, this pipe started bubbling again like it usually does.

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

Those two pipes in the first picture are suction lines for when the system is in spa mode, they are connected together and then run back to the equipment in a single pipe to the pump.
The spa water draining down is back flowing through the plumbing to the pool because of its elevation being higher than the pool and possibly a faulty check valve in the system.

 

[jennz4b]

Thank you - the pool repair people told me a had no spa check valve and put one in, but the spa does this still.