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Leaking Swimming Pool Help

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Leaking Swimming Pool Help - Swimming Pool Leak Detection Guidance Notes

Leak detection is never easy but these notes will hopefully guide you through this difficult process:
Generally the pool can leak in 4 places;

  1. Evaporation
  2. The pool shell & fittings around the pool.
  3. The suction pipe work (Pipes through which the pump pulls the water from the pool)
  4. The return pipe work (Pipes through which the pump returns the water back to the pool)

To find the location of your swimming pool leak try following the steps below;

  • If the suction pipe work is leaking you will have air bubbles visible under the clear lid of the pump when the pump is running, when the pump is running without leaks in the suction pipework it is hard to tell if water is passing through the pump visually. If there is a leak in this pipe work water does not leak out when the pump is running, it only pulls air into the leak hence the bubbles. Water in this case would only leak from the pool when the pump was not running.
  • If the return pipe work is leaking then the water loss will be greater when the pump is running than when it is not. When the pump is running in this case water is forced out of the pipe leak but when the pump is not running water only drips out. If you are not sure you can test this by marking the pool side at the full level and run the pump for exactly 24 hrs (Or a similar measured length of time) and measure the drop in water level, then re-fill to the first mark and turn the pump off for exactly 24 hrs and measure the water loss, this will give you your answer.
  • If neither of the above applies then you may have a pool shell leak which can be the hardest to find. If you are not sure if it is a leak or evaporation them you can test as follows but be advised that during the summer it is not unusual for an outdoor pool to lose up to 25mm per week in evaporation and it therefore follows that a heated indoor pool can lose this amount all year round; Part fill a bucket and stand it in the top step of the pool secured in some way so it cannot move, mark the level of the water on the inside of the bucket and also the pool water level on the outside of the bucket. If this is simple evaporation the level inside and outside the bucket will drop the same, if however the pool shell is leaking then the pool level will drop lower than the level on the inside of the bucket. If it is a pool shell leak then you can help yourself by leaving the pool water level to go down until it stops and this may indicate the problem but remember in the case of a liner pool you should not ever remove more than 1/3 of the water or risk liner movement. WARNING completely emptying your pool of water can cause structural damage, check with your pool builder/local pool specialist before draining your pool completely.

Your local pool dealer can test pipe work for leaks and help with repairs but the more you can do for yourself the smaller the bill, so try the above and Good Luck!

Related products - try Marlig Fix a Leak to plug the leak once you have found it, a good product that had has great reviews from our customers.