Pool chemistry is changing

[Antuan]

Hi everyone
I’m losing my chemistry in the pool, I’m assuming it’s leaking somewhere. Water level goes down 1/4 inch a day, and I thought it’s normal evaporation, but I turned off the pump for 3 days and water level went down 1/4 inch in 3 days. Any thoughts?
Please help.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

How is your weather? Dry (as in lack of humidity)? Windy? That can speed up normal evaporation.
But you failed to tell us your current testing levels, and what is changing there other than the water level? Normally evaporation will leave behind calcium, sodium, chlorine... so if all your chem levels are lessening also I would also wonder about
water loss?

Look around the yard and equipment pad- any new soggy areas or water where its not normal? Investigate those.

Are you having to refill the pool daily? If so, one suggestion is to stop doing that and when you stop losing water- look around that spot for any breaks in your plaster? Is the water level stopped at the skimmer? Skimmers and ligjts are a common place of leaks. You could try a leak detection using pool dye-

Leak Detection

A number of things can cause leaks in your pool. You can learn tricks for leak detection and how to pinpoint where your pool is losing water.

www.troublefreepool.com

Maddie

 

[Antuan]

Thanks for reply
I have no visible leaks, and within 9 months I lost significant amount of CH, CYH AND SALT
I think those are forever chemicals and you’re not suppose to loose them.
Also there is very little water loss when the pump is off which I assume is the evaporation.
CH went from 430 to 200, cya from 60 to 30 and salt from 3500 to 2500 within 9 months.

 

[mknauss]

Did the pool overflow this winter with the rain?

 

[Antuan]

Sorry for late response,
No didn’t overflow, i was checking the weather and wasn’t refilling the pool due to rain

 

[mknauss]

For your CH and salt to fall that much, you drained off water this winter. No other way those occurred.

 

[kul]

CH went from 430 to 200

I’m in your area and this amount of loss is not typical even with the recent rains unless you drained a significant amount at some point. For reference I drained during the rains to keep water beneath coping and my CH went down 75. It was 350 in Dec and 275 in March from the draining and letting rain do the refill.

Do you recall doing extra draining?

 

[Antuan]

No draining at all
Just evaporation and possible leak forces the water level to go down

 

[Antuan]

Water level goes down 3/8 of an inch a day
No need to drain the pool for rains

 

[kul]

Sounds like you have it narrowed down to happening when the pump is on. Perhaps next step is to look for wet spots as suggested. If there are none, maybe try plugging different things and adjusting settings to see where the leak might be. I’m not familiar with this process so hopefully someone else here can help guide that process.

If that is not successful then calling a leak detection company may be the best bet.

 

[Antuan]

Thx
You just gave me an idea
I will shut of return lines to the pool
This will eliminate some of the problem
Will let you know in fire days

 

[Antuan]

Few days

 

[kul]

Yes keep us posted and good luck

 

[Antuan]

after 2 days I discovered that pool leaks from return line, I shut down return lines to pool and the water returns to pool through the spa
The leak is I’m guessing next to the pump under concrete, because the concrete platform has cracked right next to return pipe, I’m assuming the water loosened underground soil and cracked the platform.