Can grout between tiles leak > 1 inch a day???

Leaks in the pool, plumbing, filtration system, skimmer, ...
Finding & repairing swimming pool leaks.
jmooo
I'm new here
I'm new here
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed 02 Jun, 2021 12:19
My Pool: gunite with decorative 1 inch square ceramic tiles 1 foot from top
built 1984

Can grout between tiles leak > 1 inch a day???

Postby jmooo » Wed 02 Jun, 2021 13:08

Hello and Thanks

My gunite pool has 1x1 inch size decorative ceramic tiles as a band 1 foot high all around pool, even into skimmer entrances.
Water leaks down about 1 & 1/4 inch a day. Pool leaks down to last 1 inch of tile band both pump on and pump off.
I'll call this the "leak stop level." Reproduced this several times. Once water gets to the "leak stop level" the daily leakage is less than 1/8 inch. I've watched the pool at that level for up to 5 days.

When water is at "leak stop level" the skimmer entrances have water about 1 inch deep.
Above the "leak stop level" there are only tile and skimmers. No rope connectors, plugged holes or visible cracks.
This is a great finding as it is reproducible__!

So it's going to be easy to find my leak, right? Wrong.
Filled pool to almost top of tile for testing. (I never keep it this full)
So I test the skimmers and tile expecting to find a positive dye test.
Tested all parts of skimmer entrances, skimmer/tile contacts, skimmer/gunite contacts and found no flow of dye at ALL_!
Since I've never dye tested before I repeated this process.
Still no dye flow...

What am doing wrong????
How do I find the leaking?


jmooo
I'm new here
I'm new here
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed 02 Jun, 2021 12:19
My Pool: gunite with decorative 1 inch square ceramic tiles 1 foot from top
built 1984

Re: Can grout between tiles leak > 1 inch a day???

Postby jmooo » Sat 19 Jun, 2021 11:16

Unexpected solution.
There is a 2 inch threaded PVC opening about 18 inches LOWER than the level where water level would almost stop leaking.
I should have mentioned this in my first post. Dye testing showed very slow flow out of pool at this opening. Since it was 18 inches below the level where water would almost stop going down I disregarded it as a site of the inch a day leak.
______________
Since I had no answers about tile and grout, I inserted a 2 inch screw-in PVC plug.
Filled the pool to half way up the tile.
WOW WOW WOW, WAS I EVER WRONG IN MY IDEAS....
So now 5 days later the water is almost not leaking at all, almost to same level on tile as day I filled pool.
Several inches above the previous "leak stop level".
I still understand how an opening so far below the "leak stop level" was not causing a steady rate of leaking.___???
However I am very happy with current situation.
Thanks to all viewers.

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