Where did my leak go?

Leaks in the pool, plumbing, filtration system, skimmer, ...
Finding & repairing swimming pool leaks.
Irony58
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Joined: Fri 14 May, 2021 08:52
My Pool: 18-ft round, above ground pool.

Where did my leak go?

Postby Irony58 » Fri 14 May, 2021 09:12

I've got a perplexing problem with my above ground pool. Last September I closed up my pool and in October had to leave town for a family thing. I left the pool full and plugged up the skimmer and return. We were gone three weeks and when we returned, the water was down about 24 inches, well below the skimmer/return. By then the winter cover was full of leaves and water, so I could only untie it and let it drop into the pool, which cloudied up the water.

The water didn't drop any further, so I tried to look for the leak by hand-probing and with food coloring. I looked around the water line and found nothing, but the water was too cloudy to check the base and other ground-level defects. So I figured I'd just get it replaced, as it's over 7 years old. But I'm stuck waiting for a new liner, so I thought I'd empty the pool, clean it out, and refill to above 30 inches (above the old water line) and then look again. So here's where it gets confusing.

The water was definitely going down by more than evaporation (as compared with a bucket) - about 1/4" - 1/2" per day. Surely a leak, right? I then filled it up above 30" again to look for the leak, but I left the water on and it got up to the skimmer. OK, fine, let's fill it all the way, hook up the filter, and get the water really clean to help find the leak.

I lost about 1/4" per day (again) for a couple days, but now it's stopped leaking. I'm not getting any rain and still comparing to a bucket, so the leak seems to have really stopped.

I got a brand new pool dye kit to find this thing, but I can't find a leak that's not leaking. Any idea why a liner would leak, then stop when full?


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