Skimmer Leak? Sounds like water is "dripping"

[Schop]

First time homeowner, first time pool owner.

Facts:
- Plaster In-ground Pool
- 22 years old
- Doubt there has been any re-finishing ever done
- Iron Stains throughout which I fixed with the ascorbic acid treatment

I felt like I was losing a lot of water, so I did the bucket test, and lo and behold, it indicated that I have a leak.

When I open the skimmer lid I can hear what sounds to be a leak (with the pump OFF). It sounds like a slowly croaking frog, or a muffled dripping faucet. I dropped food coloring everywhere, and it didn't "pull" to any specific location.

I'm assuming my next step will be to turn off the skimmer and operate off the main drain until the water stabilizes to determine if this the skimmer or something else?

Any other suggestions? I get some small bubbles in the pump basket after the initial start up, but they quickly disappear (less than 30 seconds) and don't appear again until the next time the system starts up. I'm really not sure if this is where I should be looking, or if there's a different/better way to approach a leak.

Thank you so much for the help!

 

[cowboycasey]

Welcome to TFP

The water will always stop at or just below the leak.. If you can pull from the main drain and see where the water stops dropping that should work great.. you still have to find the leak though.. Sometimes a leak specialist is a great thing, they can hear where the leak is and track it down...