Pressure side leak?

RHeller

Member
Jun 21, 2023
15
Deland FL
Looking for some insight or experiences to a situation I'm having with my inground gunite pool with a cartridge filter. Notice the water level seem to be dropping faster than normal about 2 weeks ago when the temperature dropped. At first I figured it was just evaporation but the loss was too quick... I tested yesterday by filling pool halfway up skimmer, then shutting off all equioment until this morning. No noticeable water loss. Turned pump back on this morning and lost half an inch in 3 hours... Also water had been looking more and more cloudy over past 2 days... I put a small bucket over the return jet for about 20 seconds and when I pulled it up I had about a tablespoon of sand/dirt at the bottom... So that explains the cloudiness... Do I have a cracked return line somewhere? What are my options/next steps? Any help is appreciated!
 

Do the bucket test.

Pressure test your return lines.

 
How old is your pool?

When did you last clean your filter?

Have you checked your filter cartridge carefully for tears?

I think it is more likely you have a torn cartilage than a cracked return pipe in the ground..
 
How old is your pool?

When did you last clean your filter?

Have you checked your filter cartridge carefully for tears?

I think it is more likely you have a torn cartilage than a cracked return pipe in the ground..
18 months old
Cleaned filter 2 weeks ago
Didn't see any tears in filter.
I'm not sure how this amount of sand would come from a tear in the cartridge...
 
At 18 months old you should have your builder look into the problem under warranty.
 
R,

I agree with Allen about the warranty, but...

Before I called them, I would try the following...

Run your pump from just the Skimmer and see if the leak is still there.. Then run just from the main drain, and see if the leak is still there..

Thanks for the pics.. I was hoping that you a way to shut off some of your returns, but that is not the case.

Broken pipes underground, can happen, but it is unusual occurrence.

Also, a broken pipe underground would tend to show up as a large wet area, unless under some decking.

Try the test I recommended and report back with what you find.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 

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OK I will do this... As for the sand... Like a lot of sand in the pool... Which is what the ground is here below the grass... A broken underground pipe makes sense to me how that would introduce a lot of sand... Would other types of leaks be able to pick up that volume of sand and move it into the pool?
 
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