Patching Pinholes in Liner... And Some Leaks in Skimmers, Too...

Had the leak detector folks out today, and after a couple hours on the bottom of the pool, they identified enough little pinholes that they stopped counting. Seems that the PO's of our house didn't get much for their money's worth on the new liner they installed in 2009, and some tiny pebbles or other debris has worn holes through the bottom of the deep end. It seems like a waste to replace a liner this new over 15-20 pinhole leaks.

I've read the How To stickie on patching vinyl liners, and I'm wondering if there is a different method for patching pinholes? Same method as big holes, I suspect, but it would be nice to find something that was a little easier to apply. Sadly, the holes aren't all close enough to cover more than one per patch short of covering the whole bottom of the deep end. Any thoughts on this greatly appreciated.

Also, a leak (the primary culprit) was found in one of the skimmers, where the pipe is attached to the skimmer bucket. At some point, we'll have some concrete work done and replace the skimmers, but I'd like to patch the crack to save water until then. What's the best way to patch that kind of crack? Good old 2-part epoxy, or...?

Thanks in advance,

Clair

Hi Clair, welcome to the Forum!

2 part epoxy putty is what you'll want for sealing the skimmer leak. If you need any tips on applying it, let me know.

The pinholes are a more difficult fix. I must say I'm surprised that the leak detection company didn't patch them as the discovered them??? Doing multiple patches on the deep end floor requires SCUBA gear to do the job right. Unless you have SCUBA gear and the time to patch the pinholes, I'd start with the skimmer leak and see how much water you are loosing each day, if the pinholes make you loose minimal water, you might be best off letting them go for now.

I think your most optimal fix will be to drain the pool, get under the liner to remove the cause of the pinholes and patch the underside of the liner while you're under it. A 2 year old liner should be able to be drained and refilled without any issues. Again, if you have further questions for me on this, I try to get here every day and am more than willing to help you solve your problems.

Thanks for the welcome, Ted! I've enjoyed reading your posts, so thanks for helping a pool newbie out.

The leak detector guy found and marked a pile of leaks, and basically stopped looking to give me the news at some point. Verdict - you need a new liner. I'd like to patch the liner and keep going, so I told him thanks and gave him a check for his time. Not that he wasn't helpful, but I got the impression it was going to be like 6 more hours of work and a pile of money to do. I can do most of this myself, I think.

On the skimmers, the 2-part epoxy is what he recommended I use, and I was also looking at the AquaBond butyl rubber tape product:
http://www.aquabondadhesives.com/butyl-tape.php
If it works as they say, it seems like it might be an option, too. Does the epoxy become essentially rigid? If the ground moves around - expansive soils here in TX - will the epoxy retain a good tight bond? The butyl tape is appealing because it stays flexible over time.

On the pinholes, it looks like Boxer has some "Peel & Stick" patches:
http://www.boxeradhesives.com/product/poolpatches.html
Any experience with these? I have friends that are divers, but I don't know how many pizzas I'd have to buy them to get them to patch my pool... I'm just exploring options here, as I will likely just get the epoxy from Leslie's or where ever if I have to wait on shipping the other stuff.

Strangely, the leak seems to have GREATLY reduced in the last 2 days. Last Friday, we lost about 2" over night, and the water level would drop down to the skimmer opening whenever we filled it up during the week. Filled it up Tuesday night for the inspection, and it hasn't lost more than 1/2" since then. Oy.

Thanks again,

Clair