How To Find Leak In Pool

Helena · #1 07/15/09, 01:01 PM

How do you find a hole in a 18' round vinyl lined pool. If I fill the pool it will drop below a certain point..so...the hole must be slightly above the water line. We have scrubbed and rubbed and inspected and can not seem to find anything.. Help !!!

Oggie · #2 07/15/09, 01:04 PM

I think that the easiest way to find a leak in the pool is to look toward the kid who is just quietly bobbing up and down with a goofy expression on his face.

Helena · #3 07/15/09, 01:08 PM

OK..no kids in the pool..anyone ?

Wiste · #4 07/15/09, 01:15 PM

Edit, nm, that won't work either. I'll keep thinking about it.

mistletoad · #5 07/15/09, 01:19 PM

For us the leak is always where the inflatable ring joins the bottom bag part - you know the one place it is impossible to patch!

nathan104 · #6 07/15/09, 01:50 PM

If the leak down stops just below a skimmer or pressure or vacuum line, it could be in the filter system or hoses. If it is not near there, the best thing to do is fill the pool back up above the lowest level and go around the pool with a food coloring solution. First check all seems and any where that the fabric has changes, joints or cut outs for lights or anything else. You should be able to see the food coloring get sucked out with the flow of water. In a vinyl pool, a tiny hole can cause problems. Its can take time to find it. Getting a snorkel and gogles will help as you go around the pool letting out the food coloring. Just do it in small squirts though so you can watch what happen to the colring. If it just gets too diluted it will be harder to see. I found a leak this way before but went through two full bottles of food coloring, lol. Hopefully, you see water on the outside of the pool and that will at least narrow down what area its coming from.

Helena · #7 07/15/09, 04:01 PM

OK..I'm going nuts now. Tried all the suggestions and my hands are now permantely red in color from the dye. Running the well to over the maker line now hoping I see somethng. No wet spots around the pool because of the mulch so all the areas are damp. Trying to get the fire company to deliver me some water to fill it to the very top and then I will just top it off during the summer and hope that it doesn't leak all the water to the half way point again. I just don't know what else to do. Perhaps l re-filling it over the top and during the summer the hole will get larger and we can then find it to repair it. I just don't know what else to do. I can't spend another $20 for shock treatment to make it fairly safe to climb into the point and get the green algae out of it to look around the pool. So...that is what I am trying to find..a fire company that has the time to deliver some water to me. It seems as if everyone is so very busy in our township that they can't deliver any to me now. Soo...wish me luck ...I just don't know what else to do !!

**Shrek** · #8 07/15/09, 04:35 PM

When our pool did that, I drained the pool after it leaked down to the leak water level and painted clear vinyl upholstery repair sealer covering an inch either side of the leak down line. The two bottles I used were less expensive than replacing the pool.

Pink_Carnation · #9 07/15/09, 07:00 PM

How fast does the water level drop? Can you pull the mulch back enough to see if an area seems wetter than the rest? When the water is leaking out you might be able to figure out the general area by listening for it.

WildWisc · #10 07/15/09, 10:23 PM

Just a shot in the dark, but...
Could you possibly do something like draw a chalk line below where the low water line is? Perhaps as the water leaks out it will wash away or at least mar or alter the line below the leak.

glazed · #11 07/15/09, 10:33 PM

Would rubbing dish soap on the outside of the pool reveal the bubbles that signal a leak?

Sorry ... hope that's not a dumb suggestion ... I saw my grandpa do it under the hood of a car to find a leak in a water hose or something like that.

Lizza · #12 07/15/09, 11:55 PM

My husband (swimming pool builder) said to drain the pool, pop the liner, put a leaf blower or shop vac under there and blow it up like a circus tent, then he said you can see all the holes clearly, likes stars in the night, from the underside of the liner. Get yourself a clean rag and vinyl liner repair kit and fix the holes from the underside of the liner. Cheapest way to fix a liner, works every time. He said though if you get under there and your liner looks like swiss cheese, it's garbage, time for a new liner.

He did warn me that you should wear a cap and work cloths, it will probably be green and nasty under there.