Do You Have A Leaking Swimming Pool?
If your pool is losing water you’ll probably think you have a leak, but that’s not always the case.
If you are only losing a small amount of water it could be due to several other things.
You might have an evaporation problem and this can cause significant loss especially in outdoor pools when the weather is hot, dry and windy. You will need to think about getting a cover on your pool to reduce the evaporation.
For indoor pools, the de-humidifier can cause significant evaporation if the pool cover is not in place when the pool is not in use. Again, a pool cover will reduce the evaporation.
Filter backwashing can also reduce water levels very significantly.
These are just a few reasons for water loss and I’m happy to chat to you about any of these to find out what it might be.
The pipe work and plant room
Once the points above have been eliminated, the pool operator should turn his/her attention to the plant room where the equipment is stored. There could be signs of water loss from the pumping, heating and filtration equipment. Look for dampness on the floor or dampness of the equipment.
The next test to perform is to turn off the filtration pump and see if that reduces the water loss, if the water level no longer falls, the chances are that the leak is in the underground plumbing, most likely on the return or pressure side.
Signs of leaks in the suction side of the plumbing often show up as air in the pump leaf basket, this is significant as the air has come either from a hole in the pipe work or from the seal on the pump shaft. Either way it is a leak. You should then turn off the flow from the skimmers and see if that reduces the presence of air in the pump. Then try the flow from the sump and from the vacuum point.
In order to fully eliminate the plumbing from your investigations you should have the pipework pressure tested.
The pool structure
First you should look for any obvious signs of tears in the liner or cracks in the structure of a tiled pool. Missing tiles can be a sign of cracks in the structure.
You can reduce the area of investigation by turning off the pool pump and any water top up device and wait to see at what level the water loss stops as the leak will be near to that level.
Vinyl liner pools need to have water in them at all times so do not allow the level to fall more than half way down the shallow end of the pool. If the water stops at the bottom of the skimmer opening, the leak is probably in the skimmer or filtration system (including the pipes). If the water stops at the light, the leak is probably at the light housing. If the water drops below the light, then there may be a leak in the drain at the bottom the pool.
Fixing the leak
This will be the subject of a future article but if you would like help now, just call me or email and I can give free advice.
Hugh Gardner …..devonpoolservices@gmail.com …….07929 960761
