Moist Soil - Leak or No?

[Alcyone]

I've been noticing some moist soil around my pool pipes. It's hard to tell whether this is just natural moisture coming up through the ground that we sometimes get, or if it's indicative of a minor leak. The moist soil is around the pipes, but is also a bare area of landscaping rocks. I've also notice my pool has been losing a few inches of water height a week, although it has been extremely hot here.

Do pool pipes typically leak underground? There are no above ground leaks that I can see.

Picture:




Thanks

 

[Bperry]

I've been noticing some moist soil around my pool pipes. It's hard to tell whether this is just natural moisture coming up through the ground that we sometimes get, or if it's indicative of a minor leak. The moist soil is around the pipes, but is also a bare area of landscaping rocks. I've also notice my pool has been losing a few inches of water height a week, although it has been extremely hot here.

Do pool pipes typically leak underground? There are no above ground leaks that I can see.

Picture:

View attachment 526963


Thanks

Only way to know is to dig a bit. Pipes can leak anywhere. You can try a bucket test to help know if the pool is leaking or not. A few inches a week seems kinda high.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

One thing about living in the desert is that wet/damp ground is NEVER a good sign. Even if there is some overnight dew that forms, the ground should be dry looking once sunlight breaks and hits it. If it looks damp and there’s full sun out, water is coming from somewhere.

It’s entirely possible for underground plumbing to leak as the pipes are not continuous but glued together.

Do you have any buried irrigation lines near your equipment pad?

Do you know where you main line for your water is and where it runs along your property?

Aside from the main line and irrigation, are there any drain lines that run near that area?

 

[Alcyone]

I will try the bucket test. Thanks for the suggestion.

The ground does dry out once the sun hits it. The area of the pipes is shaded by the house until late morning. I also see moisture up near the wall of the house in certain spots.

There should be no buried irrigation lines near that area. I even ran the irrigation for an hour to check for leaks, but didn't find any.

The main line comes in near the front of the house on the side of the garage, so shouldn't be near the pool equipment.

I do have a drain line hooked up to a sump pump downslope from that area, but we haven't had any rain here to my knowledge.

I'm just concerned as it seems like I'm having to fill my pool up every week. Although It has been very hot (over 110) until this weekend.

 

[proavia]

With high temps and low humidity, your pool will evaporate 1/2" or more of water per DAY.

You still need to figure out where these wet spots originate from.
Doing the bucket test is a good first step.

 

[Texas Splash]

Any chance you are experiencing some of the run off from the crazy rains there lately? My friends back home showed me pics of the flooding and it was something to behold. Certainly do the DIY leak tests, but you might evaluate any potential for rain and runoff to settle around the area.

 

[Alcyone]

Rain runoff was a possibility. I've recently checked the ground again and it's been completely dry. So a leak is highly unlikely.

There's something I'm not understanding. I haven't filled the pool up in over 2 weeks and the water has been at the exact same level the entire time (about 1/3 way up the first row of tiles). However, before this, when I filled it up to either halfway up or 2/3 the way up the first row of tiles, it would drop dramatically overnight.

Hence, I'm not sure if there's an overflow drain somewhere that I can't see. Is it common to have a pool overflow drain going into the main drain underground?

 

[proavia]

You're in Vegas. Chances of having an overflow drain for the pool are quite low.
That being said, check your skimmer and autofill for an overflow drain - along with checking the entire waterline for an overflow grate.

When you say you haven't added any water, are you meaning with a hose? Your autofill should be adding water as needed without any interaction on your part.

Show us pics of the insides of the skimmer and autofill - from a few different angles.
An overflow drain will propably be either a standpipe or a hole at the waterline inside either device.

Post some pics of the overall equipment pad as well.

Fill out your signature with pool, pool equipment (including manufacturers and model numbers) and test kit info.

https://www.troublefreepool.com/account/signature

 

[Alcyone]

There is no autofill as far as I know. There is this compartment with a float. There's a hole in the side of it. I'm not sure what it's for:



Here is the skimmer basket compartment. There are just 2 holes at the bottom:



There is no hole at the water line except the one for the skimmer.

Here is an overview of the pool equipment. I don't see any attachment to a water feed.



I will update my signature with all my equipment shortly.

Thank you.