Skimmer leak

[aztony]

So it seems my pool has a leak. There's wet ground next to the cement not far from the skimmer. Had a pool plumbing company guy come out and take a look. He says usually the leak is at the skimmer. Also had me lower the water level saying that could be part of the problem. I had the water level almost to the top of the skimmer. He said it should be about an 1 1/4" onto the tile. I lowered the water level to see is that was the problem. I had dug a hole where the ground was wet and it was muddy down near the piping and that seemed to have dried out after lowering the water. Filled the hole back up but after a few days the ground is back to being wet. The plumbing guy said I might have to have the tiles reset around the skimmer. Do I need special equipment to test if the skimmer is leaking?

 

[peirek]

I have experienced leaks around the skimmer in the past. Mine was the grout joint between the tiles and plastic skimmer box. I used some caulking that was made for under water. Can't remember exactly what it was but others on here will provide the right stuff.

---- EDIT -----

Let the water level drop until it stops dropping. This will let you know where in the skimmer it is leaking. Or alternatively, use the dye testing. Pool School - Leak Detection

 

[aztony]

Thanks for the reply.

If the water level gets below the skimmer is it okay to run the pump and skimmer or do I turn the skimmer off so not to suck in air? I'm guessing I need to also turn off the auto leveler. The question I have with that is wouldn't I lose water through evaporation? Just wondering how would I know if I would be losing water through evaporation or a leak.

 

[zea3]

If you have a main drain you can shut off flow from the skimmer and run the pump. If you do not have a main drain and the water is below the skimmer you cannot run the pump. Turn off the auto leveler. You will probably notice the pool loses water much more quickly with it off. You may lose an inch or so to evaporation in a week, with a leak you may lose inches a day.

Try the leak detection peirek recommended while the pump is off. Test the area around the skimmer opening. If it is the grout it will look like the dye is being sucked into the grout. If it is the skimmer pipe the dye will be sucked down into the skimmer.

 

[tstex]

looking at your 2nd pic, you can see a very noticeable waterline from scale/calcium. Is this where the waterline used to be? I guess living in AZ you don't need a pool drain, but in my pool, I can only fill so high before it goes out the drain.

As mentioned, there's an optimal water level that allows for good flow return from skimmers to pump that is also critical for removing floating debris into skimmer baskets for effective surface cleaning. If the water is too high, the weir doors are almost straight up not allowing the debris to enter effectively...

As mentioned, the dye tests are very good. As mentioned, make sure your pump is off, there is no wind and nothing else that makes any water movement. The idea is to have absolutely no water movement that would adversely influence the dye to be moved, other than by the suction of a leak. Use a dye that is in contrast to your tile, grout and skimmer colors...

good luck and post back on your findings - tstex

 

[aztony]

Yep, that's where the waterline used to be and no main drain (not really sure what that is). It was like that from when it was installed. I didn't know any better and left it at that level. Seemed to work fine. The door was at a pretty good angle and did collect a lot of debris, now with the water level lower, not so much. Probably because we haven't had any storms recently to cause a lot of debris in the pool.

As for the dye test, can I use just a regular eye dropper and food coloring? Do I have to buy one of those pool dye testing kits?

 

[zea3]

Food coloring should work fine, just us a color that is easy for you to see in the water.

 

[aztony]

So, here's an update. I've had the pump and water leveler off since I last posted, so 4 - 5 days. Water level went down about 1/2". I'm guessing that's not much with the temps being in the 80's - 90's with evaporation. I also did the bucket test and it's down about the same. I tried doing the leak test, not sure I'm doing it right. The dye (food color) just dropped to the bottom of the skimmer basket and sat there, same for around the bottom tiles of the skimmer. Didn't see any being sucked in. The ground, where it was damp, looks drier even though it's still dark, either that or it's my eyes wanting it to be drier. I turned everything back on. Don't want to end up having a swamp to deal with.

 

[peirek]

The only thought I have - you let the water drop down until it stopped (sans evaporation) and then ran the dye test? The water would be below the leak now. I would fill it up to normal level (although your normal level may be a bit high as noted before) and repeat the dye test. Could be the sides of the tile/skimmer interface which was not tested here.

 

[aztony]

That was my thought, that the water level is now too low to do a good dye test as only the bottom tiles are under water. Thanks, guess I'll readjust the float to raise the water level and redo the dye test.

 

[tstex]

Yes, once the water level is below the potential leak area, you will have no movement.

I would start at a normal water level [not your original water line, but the 1 - 1.5" tile line] and do the test. The try it another 12 hrs later and keep doing so until you find the optimal water level that will expose the leak. It's there somewhere and you will find it - good luck