Slow leak...should I be concerned?

[JimK]

I took the solid cover off our pool today and noticed the water level had dropped about 3 inches since closing it 6 months ago. I'm pretty sure there's a leak somewhere since it hasn't dropped like this before. I have a couple ideas where the leak may be, but it would require I get in and it's too cold right now (I replaced a couple of rings/seals that seal the liner around the returns last season....perhaps this is where the leak is?). It's entirely possible that it may have been leaking during last season but I didn't notice it since its so slow.

Is this something I should be concerned about now? I'm thinking because its so slow ( .5" per month) I can just keep an eye on it for now.

What do our experts here think?

[CarlD]

I'm not the expert here but you may want to try the pool leak dye near each return and light. When it's too cold and I MUST get in, I keep a wet suit, boots, hood and gloves. I don't like it, but it's been worth the investment.

[JimK]

Over the past week I've not noticed any unusual drop in water level, so I'll just keep an eye on it for now.

I'm wondering if sometime over the winter enough water accumulated on the cover to displace enough water in the pool to cause it to leak out somewhere above the normal water level. We did have some significant rains over the winter that required I remove quite a bit of water from the cover at once.

[waste]

Over the past week I've not noticed any unusual drop in water level, so I'll just keep an eye on it for now.

I'm wondering if sometime over the winter enough water accumulated on the cover to displace enough water in the pool to cause it to leak out somewhere above the normal water level. We did have some significant rains over the winter that required I remove quite a bit of water from the cover at once.

Hi Jim

It's quite possible that water was pushed out of the pool over the winter by the water on the cover AND a plug of ice in the pool.

What you can do to see if you have a leak is mark the water line (I usually use electrical tape on the skimmer mouth) and see if the water drops after a day or so. {you don't have to get wet and cold this way }

There are other ways to determine what might be leaking if you are loosing water (bucket test, vessel test ...).

If you need more assistance from me on this, simply ask

[JimK]

Hi Jim

It's quite possible that water was pushed out of the pool over the winter by the water on the cover AND a plug of ice in the pool.

What you can do to see if you have a leak is mark the water line (I usually use electrical tape on the skimmer mouth) and see if the water drops after a day or so. {you don't have to get wet and cold this way }

There are other ways to determine what might be leaking if you are loosing water (bucket test, vessel test ...).

If you need more assistance from me on this, simply ask

Thanks. I appreciate the response and suggestions.

No ice in the pool this year. Actually, it's rare we get freezing in the pool during the winter here on the VA.

I've been keeping an eye on the water level the past couple weeks and it doesn't seem to be going down any faster than normal from evaporation. If later I notice it going down faster than normal I'll try the bucket test so I can tell if its something other than evaporation.

Thanks again.