Hi,
So unfortunately we have a leak! :-( Confirmed via the bucket test.
Here is what I know so far:
When I went to isolate the stair jets yesterday evening, I guess I didn't 100% close the ball valve, but I had plugged the jet itself where it comes out at the pool using the winter plug. When the pump turned on, I heard an odd noise down by the stairs and then saw some water spilling out at the dial (the one where you can add more air so it bubbles) next to one stair jet. I then lifted the interlock around there and there was a reasonable amount of water coming out. I've attached two pictures, one that shows my stairs and another that shows where I lifted the interlock. That hole was filling up with water. When I removed the dial on the stair jets (the one to add air), water came spirting out of it. I checked the opposite side and nothing - it was dry. It's pretty clear that water is leaking somewhere from that one side, either the pipe itself or where it attaches to the jet. I haven't had a chance to dig down yet. When I properly closed the ball valve to the stairs, the problem stopped.
So while I of course can't guarantee there's no liner leak (we have had ones repaired about 5 years ago), it seems unlikely given the results and the minor amount I still get with everything plugged is likely evaporation as it's less than the bucket. When we opened the pool (we have a safety cover), it was full. If we had a liner leak, I wouldn't expect that to be the case.
It seems pretty safe to say any leak is in the stair lines, and it's the one where I saw water coming out. Of course this doesn't rule out any other leaks until that's fixed and I test again. Of course when that stair jet is unplugged, most water will go out the jet itself as the path of least resistance, but some will presumably make its way our whatever hole/crack their is too, hence the water loss over and above evaporation.
So I was looking for some advice please:
For #4, I'd assume I remove the interlock in the area (taking a picture of course so I know how to put it back!), dig out the sand until I get down to the pipe and then have a look. I can always let a little bit of water flow (like I unintentionally did previously) once I uncover the pipe if it isn't obvious where it's coming from. But what next?
Never had to do this before. I do have a good local pool company who I'm sure could handle it, but they're quite booked up with openings and if it's not too complicated, I'd like to at least try it myself.
Would appreciate any advice or guidance please. Thanks so much!
So unfortunately we have a leak! :-( Confirmed via the bucket test.
Here is what I know so far:
- Bucket test confirmed a leak with everything open, running as normal, etc. It was about 0.5cm overnight. Bucket was probably about 0.2cm. Pool was covered with a solar blanket, albeit there are some gaps, especially at the stairs, so evaporation is definitely possible, but the greater loss confirmed the leak. This became more obvious as the time went on and it got closer to 24 hours. My chlorine also wasn't bringing the reading as high as I'd expect (i.e. if I had x amount, I'd expect Yppm, but it was a little less) and I've been losing it a little quicker than normal. This would make sense if some extra chlorinated water (I add chlorine at return jet, which goes to skimmer and then out the other jets) is being lost.
- I plugged the lines, turned off the pump and run the test again. This time the overnight loss dropped dramatically in the pool, down to about 0.2cm max (hard to be totally precise at the smaller measurements, especially as placement of lines and tape measures can cause the water to move a little). The bucket was more, probably about 0.3cm. As the day went on and it got closer to 24 hours, the difference became greater. This tells me that the problem was in the lines, albeit I guess I can never totally rule out the liner, but the small amount would suggest it was just evaporation.
- I then isolated the stair jets, so the water only flowed to the two main returns in the pool. Ran the test again, and it almost identical to when I had everything plugged. The pool was the same as the night before, with the bucket marginally less. I'll check later on today when it's closer to 24 hours, but it seems to confirm the problem is in the stair returns.
When I went to isolate the stair jets yesterday evening, I guess I didn't 100% close the ball valve, but I had plugged the jet itself where it comes out at the pool using the winter plug. When the pump turned on, I heard an odd noise down by the stairs and then saw some water spilling out at the dial (the one where you can add more air so it bubbles) next to one stair jet. I then lifted the interlock around there and there was a reasonable amount of water coming out. I've attached two pictures, one that shows my stairs and another that shows where I lifted the interlock. That hole was filling up with water. When I removed the dial on the stair jets (the one to add air), water came spirting out of it. I checked the opposite side and nothing - it was dry. It's pretty clear that water is leaking somewhere from that one side, either the pipe itself or where it attaches to the jet. I haven't had a chance to dig down yet. When I properly closed the ball valve to the stairs, the problem stopped.
So while I of course can't guarantee there's no liner leak (we have had ones repaired about 5 years ago), it seems unlikely given the results and the minor amount I still get with everything plugged is likely evaporation as it's less than the bucket. When we opened the pool (we have a safety cover), it was full. If we had a liner leak, I wouldn't expect that to be the case.
It seems pretty safe to say any leak is in the stair lines, and it's the one where I saw water coming out. Of course this doesn't rule out any other leaks until that's fixed and I test again. Of course when that stair jet is unplugged, most water will go out the jet itself as the path of least resistance, but some will presumably make its way our whatever hole/crack their is too, hence the water loss over and above evaporation.
So I was looking for some advice please:
- Is everything I've described making sense? Do my conclusions add up?
- Do you think I'm safe to cancel my appointment with the local leak detection company? They check the liner with the special equipment, pressure test the lines and have the sonar equipment to locate where any leak in the line is. This particular company would patch any liner leaks, but I'd have to fix the lines myself or get someone else to. A full leak detection appointment is expensive, so I don't want to pay for it if it seems likely I've found the issue. I suppose I could always re-book if I fix this and still have issues.
- While I could just keep the stair jets isolated, it doesn't seem like a good long-term solution. I know they don't provide the same benefit as the main return jets for mixing chemicals, but they presumably help to make sure to keep the water moving around the stairs and I'd therefore need to do more manually to clean and circulate that area.
- If my conclusions add up and you think I'm safe to cancel the leak detection appointment, how do I approach fixing this leak?
For #4, I'd assume I remove the interlock in the area (taking a picture of course so I know how to put it back!), dig out the sand until I get down to the pipe and then have a look. I can always let a little bit of water flow (like I unintentionally did previously) once I uncover the pipe if it isn't obvious where it's coming from. But what next?
Never had to do this before. I do have a good local pool company who I'm sure could handle it, but they're quite booked up with openings and if it's not too complicated, I'd like to at least try it myself.Would appreciate any advice or guidance please. Thanks so much!
