Leak help

Pool has been closed up since Oct 07. Out back last night and noticed the cover seemed to be awfully low in the pool. Quick check showed water level way below normal. I dropped the level just below the returns at close due to a crack in the return faceplate that I couldn't get sealed. Decided to drop below and deal with the faceplate in the spring. Well, water level now is about a foot below the deep end well. Low end is completely dry. I haven't uncovered completely yet ....just wondering what may be the cause. I noticed that my port valve seemed to be wearing a good deal at close and wondered if the water could have leaked out the bottom drain via the waste line. I'm really hoping it's not a leak at the drain itself but with the water level as low as it is ..... I normally don't even think of uncovering until first of May but don't believe I should leave the pool in this condition. Any advise would be welcomed.

What kind of finish is your pool? If it's liner, then what damage will be done probably has already been done, in which case I would just let it sit until the water stops leaking, so you'll have an idea where the leak is. (Of course, you're probably in for a new liner anyway if the shallow end is dry). If it's gunite/plaster, I don't know what the ramifications are for leaving it dry, but I still think that it's going to be easier to find/fix the leak if you can let the water level show you where to start looking.

Janet

Well, I guess I'm not that worried about the liner at this point as I'm sure it's shot. I've heard it's dangerous to leave a vinyl pool empty due to damage that may occur to the walls. Maybe I'm misinformed.

I'm just curious as to what could have happened over the winter to an area that deep in the pool. I've probably only got about 3 feet of water left in the deep end, so that doesn't leave a lot of area left to be the cause of the problem. I'm really concerned about the drain and wondered if it's at all possible that it could have been forced out the waste line.

Chip,
Sorry to hear of the problem. I know that sinking feeling when mine leaked a few years ago. Quite a task to find and patch but mine didn't go anywhere near low enough to damage the liner. A few slits in the deep end. Never did find what caused them. The only way water would come out the waste line is if the discharge is lower than the pool, and now, lower or equal to the present water level and siphoning occurred. Should be easy to find with only 3' of water left. I don't know for sure but I wouldn't suspect any problems with the walls due to lack of water unless ground water is pushing on them. If the level is still dropping you probably have a leak at the drain itself. If you want I can dig up some threads where I've posted ideas using dye to find leaks.
Al

Chip, sorry this happened! Janet and Al have given great posts! You seem to be resigned to getting a new liner (unfortunately that is probably a MUST at this point:( ) if you get a pool co. to do this have them pressure test the lines while the pool is empty. If you plan on doing the liner replacement yourself, I can give you lots of advice/ help and others will probably 'chime in' and we can tell you how to pressure test the lines:) It may well be as Al said, the multiport is syphoning - we'd need to know more about the height of the pool vs. the filter system to make a guess at that.

As for the walls of the pool itself being harmed/ damaged, if the pool was installed properly you have a low risk of that:) Winter is all but gone (thankfully) but you should have enough time to get the pool back in shape so you can enjoy it all swim season:)

Please let us know how everything works out

Thanks for the posts guys. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to look into this for a few days. When I get the time I'll get the winter cover off so I can evaluate the damage to the liner. I'm not sure I'm up to doing a liner install myself with a bottom drain, light and steps. The other concern I would have is the vermiculite floor. I've read that it would need to be shaped up before the new liner is installed.

Well, I guess I'm not that worried about the liner at this point as I'm sure it's shot. I've heard it's dangerous to leave a vinyl pool empty due to damage that may occur to the walls. Maybe I'm misinformed.

I'm just curious as to what could have happened over the winter to an area that deep in the pool. I've probably only got about 3 feet of water left in the deep end, so that doesn't leave a lot of area left to be the cause of the problem. I'm really concerned about the drain and wondered if it's at all possible that it could have been forced out the waste line.

Update

Well, I finally managed to get the cover off and the liner is actually not as bad as I thought. There is about 4 feet of water left ....at close there was approx. 7 ft. So, it's lost 3 feet in 6 months. I marked the water line on the liner so I can tell if it's still leaking. There are no signs of major holes/tears in the liner.

So here are my questions at this point. There appears to be air or water under the liner on the slope in the deep end below the current water line. I would think that the pressure of the water would push this air/water out. If it were water wouldn't it settle to the lowest point which would be on the flat bottom, not the slope? If it were air wouldn't the pressure of the 4 feet of water push it out?

....thanks for any help

What you are seeing is 'ground water' either the water table in your yard has raised with rain/ snow melt or that water is not able to pass quickly enough through the ground and is temporarily 'puddled' under your pool. If the pool was full, the water under the liner probably wouldn't be able to push the liner around.

Re the missing water, were you pumping the cover off over the winter? A hole in the cover could mean that you were draining the pool while pumping the cover (but that's an awful lot of water and you probably would have noticed). A broken line at the current height of the pool water could be the culprit, hence my earlier suggestion to pressure test the lines. Has the water stopped at ~ the same height as the multiport? - this could indicate that the water was siphoning.

Thanks for the update, please keep us posted with the progress.

Ok, that makes sense. We had unusually heavy rain this winter and we had water in our basement for the first time since we built the house 13 years ago. I would still think this ground water would be on the bottom of the pool and not the slope, but I'll accept that.

I drain the water off the cover with a hose and actually thought that may have happened, but when I took the cover off the pool water was clean and the cover didn't have a hole. The water is well below the height of the multiport at this point. The only line that low is the drain line.

I'm going to uncover again in a few days to check the water level against the mark I made on the liner to see if it's stopped leaking. Can I pressure test the lines at this point in time? Is this something I can do?

thanks