June, this is the month when most people actually start swimming in their pools. Kids are getting out of school and summer vacations are beginning, what better time to figure out some common pool problems.
Let’s say your pool has been open for a few weeks and it seems like you are filling the pool with the hose more often than you ever have. This could be evaporation, a plumbing leak or possibly a rip in a liner or a crack in the pool shell.
With an evaporatave loss you can have about a ¼” a day if circumstanses are right. In a breezy location, this might be slightly higher, but typically not more than ¼”. If you are losing more than this, it is probably a leak.
Once you’ve figured out it is a leak, fill the pool to the normal operational level. Mark that level with some tape on the skimmer faceplate or if you have tile, fill the pool to a spot that makes sense on the tile band. Start to measure how much water you lose in a day, for a few days. Do this with either the pump always on or always off. Then after 2-3 days of measuring you will have a ballpark of how much you lose with the pump either always on or always off. Now for the next 2-3 days do the opposite. So if the previous days you measured the water loss with the pump always off, for the next few days measure it with the pump always on.
If you find you lose more water with the pump on, chances are you have a leaking pump seal, a leaking backwash valve or a broken return fitting underground somewhere. If you find you lose more water with the pump off, chances are you have a broken fitting on the suction side plumbing. You could see this by turning your pump on and you would most likely see air bubbles in the pump while it is running. You may even find that it is difficult to get your pump started or to vac the pool.
There are lots of things that could cause you to lose water so if you get stumped and can’t figure it out, give Savol Pools a call, we have the needed tools to diagnose and fix the leak.
