In-ground pool, in-ground spa. Same equipment, but the plumbing in and out for both are separate, so I can either run the pool or run the spa. I have it set to run 24/7 for the pool with a 30 minute cycle for the hot tub each evening.
Symptom: Water level in both spa and hot tub drops quicker than expected. Filling up to the top of the skimmer, the water drops down to midway in 2-3 days. It will slowly drop down to the bottom of the skimmer over the next 7-10 days. Additionally, salt, calcium, and CYA all drop over the season (salt was 3100 at start of July, at end of August it was down to 2400. CYA was up to 75, now it's reading at 40). Very little swimming this year, very very little water lost due to displacement (splashing)
Background: Last year I was adding water for the skimmers at least once a week for what I assumed was evaporation. This year, I got a solar cover for the pool. Due to the size of the pool, the cover doesn't cover the shallow end stairs, which is about 4'x3'. I assumed this would mostly fix the evaporation issues. At the start of the season, I also did the bucket test for leaks, and it seemed to evaporate at the same speed as the pool, so I thought I'd be in the clear this year and not have to constantly add water.
Thoughts so far:
There is no visible leaks/water in the pool equipment. Additionally all above-ground plumbing/equipment were replaced in 2021. So no leaks above ground.
I shut off my schedule for the spa and left it for 4 days, so it had no water moving in or out. The water level in the spa dropped several inches, the same amount as the pool (which has the solar cover on it).
So my thought was:
1. if the leak was in the spa/spa lines, I would see the water level drop there the pool would stay where it was.
2. If the leak was in the pool/pool lines, I would see the water level drop in the pool, but not the spa
3. If this was just evaporation, my chemicals wouldn't be dropping like they are
4. Also, while the solar cover has dramatically lowered the amount of water I have to add each week (once every 10 days instead of every 3 days), I'm still losing a lot of water that doesn't seem to be possible due to just evaporation.
What to try next:
1. Either there is no leak and I should ignore this, but if so...where are my chemicals going,
2. Or there happens to be a leak in both the spa and pool lines, so they both are leaking even when the pump isn't running,
3. Or I'm missing something...which is where you guys come in. What else can I try or test to narrow down what's going on and where?
Symptom: Water level in both spa and hot tub drops quicker than expected. Filling up to the top of the skimmer, the water drops down to midway in 2-3 days. It will slowly drop down to the bottom of the skimmer over the next 7-10 days. Additionally, salt, calcium, and CYA all drop over the season (salt was 3100 at start of July, at end of August it was down to 2400. CYA was up to 75, now it's reading at 40). Very little swimming this year, very very little water lost due to displacement (splashing)
Background: Last year I was adding water for the skimmers at least once a week for what I assumed was evaporation. This year, I got a solar cover for the pool. Due to the size of the pool, the cover doesn't cover the shallow end stairs, which is about 4'x3'. I assumed this would mostly fix the evaporation issues. At the start of the season, I also did the bucket test for leaks, and it seemed to evaporate at the same speed as the pool, so I thought I'd be in the clear this year and not have to constantly add water.
Thoughts so far:
There is no visible leaks/water in the pool equipment. Additionally all above-ground plumbing/equipment were replaced in 2021. So no leaks above ground.
I shut off my schedule for the spa and left it for 4 days, so it had no water moving in or out. The water level in the spa dropped several inches, the same amount as the pool (which has the solar cover on it).
So my thought was:
1. if the leak was in the spa/spa lines, I would see the water level drop there the pool would stay where it was.
2. If the leak was in the pool/pool lines, I would see the water level drop in the pool, but not the spa
3. If this was just evaporation, my chemicals wouldn't be dropping like they are
4. Also, while the solar cover has dramatically lowered the amount of water I have to add each week (once every 10 days instead of every 3 days), I'm still losing a lot of water that doesn't seem to be possible due to just evaporation.
What to try next:
1. Either there is no leak and I should ignore this, but if so...where are my chemicals going,
2. Or there happens to be a leak in both the spa and pool lines, so they both are leaking even when the pump isn't running,
3. Or I'm missing something...which is where you guys come in. What else can I try or test to narrow down what's going on and where?
