Slow leak - Puzzled ?

[andrewmartin@clearchannel]

Hi,

I have a three year old in-ground pool with a vinyl liner, it is approx 36,000 gallon. About 3 weeks ago I took out the filter cartridge to hose it off, I returned it with no problems. Since then I have to re-fill the pool once a week with 1 to 2 inches of water. The liner looks good with no visible tears or cracks and it has run fine over the summer otherwise. Did I disturb something when I cleaned the cartridge that would cause a small leak ? Also, I tried the red dye trick around the returns, steps and light, does not appear to be any seepage. Lastly, the pool does get a lot of direct sun but I can't imagine that 1 to 2 inces is evaporating over a 5-7 day period.

Thanks for any advice.

[drfinale]

1-2 inches in a week may be normal, depending on where you live. I live in NJ, and around this time of year, I seem to lose that much in just 2-3 sunny days. Last year, I thought it was a liner leak, but the pool held water all winter, and in the spring and early summer. Once again, starting towards the end of August, I started losing the same amount of water again.

I think it has to do with the sunny days, and the low humidity. Lower humidity=more evaporation. Hope this helps.

drfinale
Pine Hill, NJ