nkwood Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 We had record low temps here (single digits and teens) for 3 straight days... Everyday this week I've had to add an inch of water to keep the level above the returns. I kept the pump running the whole time it was freezing so I don't think I busted a pipe. I did not run the skimmer, but the water was filtering the entire time. It's been above freezing for a day and a half now and it's still losing a little bit of water. Hoping I don't have an underground pipe that cracked... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kozmo Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 I live in Austin Texas and have had the same problem over the last week. Pool is 2.5 years old and has always lost a little more water than our last pool. This week it has accelerated and looks like I'm losing about 1/2 inch per day. Pump has been running non-stop and am concerned it may be a pipe - more water running through, more water loss. Not sure if cold water affects a pressure leak in the pool itself. I called one company and it's $800 to come out and check for leaks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 Are you guys familiar with the "bucket test"? It's easiest if you have wedding-cake steps or something else to sit the bucket on. Put enough water in the bucket to match the pool water level. Come back in a day or two (make sure you don't add water to the pool, or backwash, during that time). Check whether the bucket level still matches the pool level. Any difference is loss due to leakage rather than evaporation. If you don't have a way to sit the bucket in the pool, you can still do it by sitting the bucket next to the pool and just marking levels on a stick or something. Another thing: If the water loss is smaller with the pump off, the leak is probably in the return line (under pressure when the pump is on). If it's more with the pump off, you're probably looking at a suction-pipe leak (probably you'd see air bubbles coming out the return, but not necessarily). Hope this helps, --paulr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kozmo Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 Hi Paul, yes I've read about the bucket test and am going to try that this weekend when the temps get above freezing and I can safely turn off the pump. I want to see if I'm still losing water with the pump off. My pool guy says that it is likely the lights, but that is based soley on his experiences with leaks. He also blames it on my choice of a salt system - it can cause the seals to fail. I don't buy that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txpoolguy Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 Strong winds will dramatically increase evaporative water loss as will large differences in water/air temp. It may be that you're seeing normal loss due to weather issues, but keep an eye on it for the next few weeks & you'll have a better idea. If you have the proper amount of salt in your pool, it should not directly affect the seals in your pump. If the seal were leaking, it would be visible beneath the pump. The PVC pipe most likely used in your underground plumbing will not be affected by normal salt levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nkwood Posted February 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 yup...cracked a pipe under my pool skirt. Not sure yet if its a return pipe or not, but i'm losing about an inch of water a day onto my patio. having someone coming to look at it tomorrow... Good luck with your pool kozmo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kozmo Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 Hi TXPoolGuy. thanks for the advice. My builder is saying the salt water can affect the seals around the light fixtures in the pool. Sorry if I wasn't clear on that. I find that hard to believe and we never had a problem in my previous salt pool during the 8 years we owned it. As for the water loss, I'm sure the strong winds we've had and temp differences here in Austin are part of the issue. HOwever, we do have a wet spot in the back yard. This is just below a conduit that runs from the upper decking so I'm thnking something (like a light) is leaking into the fill below the upper decking and then working it's way out to the lowest spot in the yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoolGuyNJ Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 @kozmo: That pool guy of yours said what? OMG, he must be a politician in real life. Metal conduits may burst if the frost line reaches the water level and forms an ice chunk and then melts but this isn't normally the case unless you have a slope behind the light that the conduit to the deck box follows. Schedule 35 PVC doesn't burst that I have ever seen without a serious ground shift. Since you found a soggy spot, you need to dig and follow the source. If you get a little pond, cycle the pump to see if you have any flow or level changes. Don't stir it. If it just seems to sit there, pump it out. Then you might see something different. In any event, I seriously doubt salt had anything what so ever to do with it. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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