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Posted by MiamiCuse on April 1, 2007, 1:40 pm
I have previously posted about a possible pool leak, and a few posters were
extremely helpful, so I figure I will post epsiode II here.
To recap...I have recently purchased a property and the in ground pool
appears to be leaking. The water sits at the level of the skimmer lip, and
if I fill up a few inches, the water will slowing drop to the skimmer lip
elevation overnight. It will then stay at that level without dropping any
further.
The main drain at the bottom and the skimmer drain line are independent PVC
lines that emerge from the foundation about thirty feet away, each has a
shut off valve there and then merged to go inside the pool filter and then
the pool heater then return to the pool via two separate lines and the
filtered water are discharged via four separate jets in the pool.
I hired a pool leak detection expert to investigate. By shutting off the
skimmer line and the main drain line independently and did some visual
examination into the first six inches or so of skimmer line via some tiny
mirror, he told me the leak is not in the skimmer line, the valve is ok, and
it is having suction.
He suspect the problem is in the main drain since it seems to be sucking air
sometimes. He further speculates that the leak is in the elbow where the
main drain is near the surface, causing the pool water to drop to that level
so as to maintain hydrostatic pressure. The problem is locating where that
elbow is.
What makes this tricky is that the house is a "U" shaped configuration with
the pool in the middle of the "U". This means there are rooms on three
sides of the house, Between the pool and the filter on the outside is
about ten feet of pavers sitting on 4" reinforced concrete slab, then about
fifteen feet of the house's east wing which is also sitting on a 8" thick
reinforced concrete slab with a footing on each end. Not knowing exactly
where the leak is makes the repair very tricky.
The leak detection expert told me he is fairly certain they would have build
it "this way" or "that way" and most likely the elbow is around "here" but
if not "there". Most of the time the leak is in the albow and never along a
pipe, so he advised that I hire him to fix the leak by digging up the paver
bricks and jack hammer the concrete slab.
I am a bit concerned about putting a hole in the slab without really knowing
where the leak is. He said he is 80 to 90 percent sure he is right on. I
said I thought his service is to locate a leak not just guess at it, he says
that's the best they can do and he is confident.
My question is therefore...(1) there is no technology to pin point the
location? I remember plumbers have cameras to send down the line, can't
they use a camera to send back through the filter valve and locate the leak
and then try to measure it? (2) Am I right in being concerned about breaking
slabs when I have no idea where the leak is?
Thanks,
MC
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Posted by on April 1, 2007, 2:03 pm
wrote:
>He suspect the problem is in the main drain since it seems to be sucking air
>sometimes. He further speculates that the leak is in the elbow where the
>main drain is near the surface, causing the pool water to drop to that level
>so as to maintain hydrostatic pressure.
Easy way to test that is turn off the skimmer, run the system, pulling
from the drain only and see if the water level still drops. With
suction on that line you may see bubbles but the water will not be
getting out.
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Posted by David Martel on April 1, 2007, 2:27 pm
Miami,
Have you tried finding any engineering drawings of your pool. Maybe the
installer has some? Maybe the Dept of Pools ;) at the local town hall.
Dave M.
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Posted by Sacramento Dave on April 1, 2007, 8:17 pm
>
>> Miami,
>>
>> Have you tried finding any engineering drawings of your pool. Maybe the
>> installer has some? Maybe the Dept of Pools ;) at the local town hall.
>>
>> Dave M.
>>
>
> Yes unfortunately there isn't any. House was built in 1972 and the county
> put all the plans on microfilm and later on they lost them to film eating
> bugs. I searched everything - permits, even tried to track down architect
> to no avail and tried mortgage companies to the previous buyer etc...and
> all the old savings and loans company in the 80s went belly up. There is
> absolutely nothing I could find.
>
I have a blueprint of my pool the piping is just a common sense diagram to
get water from A to B no measurements. The bad part there is probably ten
ways to pipe it.
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Posted by Dan Espen on April 1, 2007, 3:00 pm
> I am a bit concerned about putting a hole in the slab without really knowing
> where the leak is. He said he is 80 to 90 percent sure he is right on. I
> said I thought his service is to locate a leak not just guess at it, he says
> that's the best they can do and he is confident.
>
> My question is therefore...(1) there is no technology to pin point the
> location? I remember plumbers have cameras to send down the line, can't
> they use a camera to send back through the filter valve and locate the leak
> and then try to measure it? (2) Am I right in being concerned about breaking
> slabs when I have no idea where the leak is?
I'm not in the business but my guess is that even if you got a camera at
the point of the leak, unless the pipes are completely undone,
you're not going to see the leak.
This is water under pressure, you only need a small hole to lose a
lot of water.
Lifting pavers is easy. You can pry them up with something like
a screwdriver, or buy a tool for it.
I'd do that part myself.
Well, I'd rent the jackhammer too. No big deal.
A pool is something like a boat.
A boat is a hole in the water you throw money into.
With the pool, you just throw the money right in the water.
Our pool is above ground.
It drained completely this winter.
I'll be patching the liner, I suspect chipmuncks
or some other varmint is tunneling under there.
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