Mystery Leak

[AmateurPoolGuy01]

I have a strange one for the group. Our gunite pool was replastered at the beginning of last season and was great all of last year. We had our pool company blow out the lines and close the pool in the fall. I opened the pool on sunday and everything looked good. The water level was high so i backwashed for five minutes, then ran the filter. Here’s where things started to go wrong. The next morning i noticed that the water had dropped a couple inches, but was still at an okay level because it had been high. I run the filter for another half day and notice another 1-2 inch drop. After shutting the filter equipment off, it drops below the filter line by evening. 24 hours later, it drops another 2 inches. Now I’m scrambling to figure out what is happening. It seems like a leak in either the return lines, light, main drain, or self-cleaner heads at the bottom of the pool BUT I can’t understand why this leak wouldn’t have occurred until I opened the pool. The only abnormal thing that happened during opening were a few bubbles in the self-cleaner return values at the bottom if the pool, but i just chalked that up to the air in the lines from the winer. Any ideas??!

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! There's an article below I'll post that may help, but since it's also happening when the system is off, then it could be a line or somewhere in the shell. I would be curious about two places first - the light niche, in other words the electrical conduit in the back of the niche might have cracked. The other is the drain because you probably have a hydrostatic valve and sometimes debris can get lodged in the seal and allow water to seep out. But also checkout the article and take it one area at a time. Process of elimination. Let us know how it goes or if you have more questions.

Oh - and if you have a sand or DE filter with a MPV, check to ensure water isn't seeping out to WASTE without your knowledge.

Leak Detection

A number of things can cause leaks in your pool. You can learn tricks for leak detection and how to pinpoint where your pool is losing water.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Jimrahbe]

01,

I too suspect that you are pushing water out of the waste line.. Is it plumbed into the sewer where you can't see it??

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[AmateurPoolGuy01]

01,

I too suspect that you are pushing water out of the waste line.. Is it plumbed into the sewer where you can't see it??

Thanks,

Jim R.

Thank you. Would this cause the water level to drop even when the filter is turned off?

 

[Texas Splash]

Would this cause the water level to drop even when the filter is turned off?

There could be a natural syphoning effect if the circumstances were just right. But if it's leaking to waste, you should see it unless the waste line goes underground to a sewage line somewhere. If it does, perhaps you could disconnect the waste line somewhere near the filter or on the equipment pad to check.

 

[AmateurPoolGuy01]

There could be a natural syphoning effect if the circumstances were just right. But if it's leaking to waste, you should see it unless the waste line goes underground to a sewage line somewhere. If it does, perhaps you could disconnect the waste line somewhere near the filter or on the equipment pad to check.

I checked my backwash line and it appears dry. It is also located at a higher elevation than my pool (as is my filter). I don’t have a sewer line that I’m aware of.

 

[Texas Splash]

Shoot. Okay, I Guess it's back to things like the light niche and hydrostatic valve.

 

[AmateurPoolGuy01]

Shoot. Okay, I Guess it's back to things like the light niche and hydrostatic valve.

I did a dye test on the light and that doesn’t seem to be leaking. Is it possible debris from the winter are keeping the hydrostatic valve open? If so, how is that typically remedied?

 

[Texas Splash]

Is it possible debris from the winter are keeping the hydrostatic valve open? If so, how is that typically remedied?

It is. Someone would have to dive down there, remove the drain cover, and inspect.