Pool leaking after covering - Suggestions?

[buckybun]

Hello,

Hoping somebody can help me here. I have an 18' above ground pool that (to my knowledge) had not been leaking during the summer months, judging by the level staying fairly consistent with evaporation, rain, etc. After covering it this fall (we use a mesh cover) and putting on an Aquador skimmer cover and ice pillow, I noticed after about a month, the ice pillow looking lower than it should be. I uncovered the pool and saw the level down below the skimmer and return. However, the Aquador cover had developed a crack in it, so I thought that might be some of the problem.

No such luck. I measured the water level last week with a stick, marked it, and checked again this morning. It's down abnother1" (approx) in one week's time. Since it's below the skimmer and return at this point (about 4" below the return), I'm assuming the leak is at the bottom drain or somewhere in the liner at the bottom. My question, since we now are getting into the point where the water will be freezing, is protecting the pool walls from collapsing. The cover is about 13 years old and being held by pool clips and the ice pillow in the middle. Any suggestions would be welcomed greatly!

[PoolDoc]

I think you are sorta stuck: you can either try to fix the leak, or you can keep adding water until the weather's warmer.

What sort of pool is it? (AG / IG; vinyl / fiberglass / concrete; etc.)

[buckybun]

It's an above ground, Atlantic 18', original liner.
As far as fixing the leak, do you recommend the dye test to try and isolate it? I should also note that there has been no (as far as I can tell) wetness around the pool at all since it has been covered. I also felt the bottom of the pool and didn't notice any squishiness in the sand underneath.
As far as adding water, what are your recommendations once I get a layer of ice on top? Thanks again!

[CarlD]

I would add one other option: remove the cover. That way, if you lose the water, the cover won't collapse the walls. You may want to put a mesh over it to prevent branches from tearing the liner, and expect a mess in the water in the spring.

Otherwise it's fix the liner or keep adding water. The ice doesn't usually go wall-to-wall so there's a gap you can fill through (I've siphoned off water that way).

Pool stores do sell a leak dye. It's tricky to work but it can find leaks in calm water. As I was closing my pool I was checking one leak and ... it found another!

[PoolDoc]

Dye checking a pool may be tough now, unless you have a wet suit (or a dry suit, if the water is below 55 degrees).

As far as dealing with ice, you'll have to talk to Carl or someone else. I have limited experience with AG pools, and with ice in pools. We've had mild winters for the last 10 - 15 years, and I wasn't in the pool business, when we had the zero-degree weather I remember from my childhood and teen years.

[buckybun]

Thanks, guys. One more question..what would you consider "normal" evaporation in the fall with this type of mesh cover, if evaporation is indeed possible? Assuming a 1" loss/week with a couple breezy/windy days and minimal rain one day (basing it on last week's monitoring). The only reason that this drop really caught my eye was the Aquador and the failure of it to keep the water in (with the crack). Otherwise, if I had drained down below the skimmer, I honestly don't know if I would have caught it by now.
I figured this summer that I didn't have any noticeable leaking. The pool went through some water loss that I attributed to evaporation, nothing out of the ordinary that I would consider substantial water loss. The lowest the pool got was halfway down the skimmer during a dry stretch in August with a max level near the top (we had a couple straight days of substantial rain in July)
Thanks for the cover tip. I was thinking about that as well, and if I can't find the leak,and repair it soon, I will have to go that route as an extra precaution.

[PoolDoc]

Bucket test => http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?11252

[Watermom]

.......and expect a mess in the water in the spring.


Maybe not. i never cover my pool any more and I don't have a mess in the spring. A little dust that can easily be vacuumed up but that is it.

Good luck!

[CarlD]

Maybe not. i never cover my pool any more and I don't have a mess in the spring. A little dust that can easily be vacuumed up but that is it.

Good luck!

Better to expect a mess and not have one than the other way around! :)

[robbym70]

Well I'm no expert but I did have a similar scenario the year before last. Opened in the spring to find the water level way way down. Thought I might have a leak too but added water to the pool upon opening and watched the level closely after opening. No leak whatsoever.

I noticed just a week os ago my water level has slipped below the skimmer once again but I had no leak issues this past season.

My theory, and it's only that, is that environmental conditions are variable and at times this factor must increase evaporation. I'd guess warm and sunny days are the culprit. Sure enough two years ago we had little snow during the winter and fall this year has been super warm and mild.