Gunite Pool: Main Drain Leak?

[kempo]

Hello;

We're getting ready to bring in a contractor to figure this leak out and I'd like to hear some ideas from you knowledgable folks, so that we only fix what's neccessary.

Last spring when filling the pool, the water reached a certain level (almost full). Then all of the sudden the water level dropped very quickly and almost emptied. I tried this a few times and the water leaked out very quickly each time.

The level that the water stopped leaking out was pretty much at the same spot each time. However there is no indication on any cracks and certainly not a hole big enough to leak as quickly as it does.

The deep end is 9ft deep and the main drain has a relief valve(?) to allow ground water in to prevent cracking the gunite.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[dejo87]

Hey, this is just a thought. I had have the same problem and I found the leak. In my case the leak was a crack about 1/4 long and 1/8 wide right next to the pvc pipe in the main drain. If the water does not stop around a fixture and the level where it does stop does not shot any cracks then chances are it's the main drain. And the reason the level does not drop further down is that the water pressure in the ground maintains this level. To test this just pump out the water in the pool on a dry day and see if it fills again. If it does then you have the same problem as me!

epoxy and hydraulic cement did not work for me... Still waiting to hear from others about solutions.