P
PatG25
Hi All
I have a 22,000 gallon gunnite pool and have been fighting pool leaks for the last couple of years. I found a broken pool supply pipe (the pavers were sinking and gave it away) and permanently closed my hydrostatic valves last year (they always leaked; they opened up in the spring and never closed because something always got stuck in them). Well, the pool is still leaking. I finally gave up and called in leak detection experts (pretty expensive). They found that the spa return line was leaking (where the jets are?), could be in multiple places. They had listening equipment and pointed to the line where it enters the spa. The outside of the spa had white stuff on it which I guess is calcium (??) that build up when water seeped out of the spa from the leak. At least that is what they are telling me.
When they did the pressure test they also noticed air bubbles coming out of the gunnite / tile line; i.e. where the gunnite meets the tile. They confirmed with a soap spray solution and I also saw bubbles coming out. Now that blew me away as I thought the tile is only decorative!! But if air can come out of a crack then water can go into the crack (and out of the spa). Visually I can't see anything wrong. I closed the spa jets and turned off the spa supply, but I guess the pool is plumbed where the pool supply also goes to one other spa supply line. So the spa waterfall was going like it normally is. At night the pool turned off and in the morning the water level had dropped to the tile / gunnite line. I guess that would confirm it.
So my questions:
Pat
I have a 22,000 gallon gunnite pool and have been fighting pool leaks for the last couple of years. I found a broken pool supply pipe (the pavers were sinking and gave it away) and permanently closed my hydrostatic valves last year (they always leaked; they opened up in the spring and never closed because something always got stuck in them). Well, the pool is still leaking. I finally gave up and called in leak detection experts (pretty expensive). They found that the spa return line was leaking (where the jets are?), could be in multiple places. They had listening equipment and pointed to the line where it enters the spa. The outside of the spa had white stuff on it which I guess is calcium (??) that build up when water seeped out of the spa from the leak. At least that is what they are telling me.
When they did the pressure test they also noticed air bubbles coming out of the gunnite / tile line; i.e. where the gunnite meets the tile. They confirmed with a soap spray solution and I also saw bubbles coming out. Now that blew me away as I thought the tile is only decorative!! But if air can come out of a crack then water can go into the crack (and out of the spa). Visually I can't see anything wrong. I closed the spa jets and turned off the spa supply, but I guess the pool is plumbed where the pool supply also goes to one other spa supply line. So the spa waterfall was going like it normally is. At night the pool turned off and in the morning the water level had dropped to the tile / gunnite line. I guess that would confirm it.
So my questions:
- I guess the tile in not decorative? How would I fix the leaks? Remove, replace and re-grout? Try to use a silicon sealer on it? Using a silicon sealer I can do, re-grouting - no way, would need to call another expert in.
- How does a pipe run in the spa; how do I get to it? The spa is tile on the outside and gunnite / tile on the inside? But if the tile is not decorative then I guess that's the way to get at it?
- If the tile can leak, do I check my entire pool tile / gunnite line ever year? This now has me really worried as it would be hard to detect a leak there. Is this a normal place where a gunnite pool can leak??
Pat