Pool leak in return line how to repair

[jcline]

I found I had a leak towards the beginning of the season. I went through some troubleshooting, replaced the spidergasket, and face plate/eye fitting but still have the leak. The pool leaks slightly when off and much more so when on and even more at higher pressure in the line ie, after backflushing or if I leave the eyeball fitting on.

Now that I am confident that the leak is in the return line I dont know how to find where the leak is in the line. The line is mostly under concrete, is it worth digging up the part that isn't under concrete just to see if the leak is there?

I would prefer to cut the concrete and replace the line myself but I am not sure where to cut unless I can find exactly where the line is leaking.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[JamesW]

If you can pressurize the line with water and then with air, you should be able to hear where the leak is.

Don't exceed 10 psi. As air escapes, it will bubble loud enough to hear if you listen closely to the ground.

When you pressurize the line, you can get an idea of how big the leak is by how fast a pressure gauge drops pressure.

Once you get air leaking, listen closely to the ground following the line path.

Go to YouTube for some videos on pool line pressure testing.

 

[vladi]

Hire American Leak Detector for ~300$. Than make holes in concrete above leak. If you can solder copper pipes, if you can not place automotive rubber hose with 2 stainless clamps on each side and put some kind of black abs glue... That's all. That auto rubber hose is designed to withstand pressure, heat, gasoline, etc... Than place same cut piece of cement... and put around some new cement - it will be visible, but think about amount of money you've saved, and take vacation.

 

[jcline]

Thanks! I watched some youtube videos and think I get the idea. I am a little concerned I wont be able to hear it under the concrete but it is definitely worth trying. I will try and report back in a few days!

 

[Dirk]

Stethoscope? Or?



Aren't there PVC slip/compression fittings for repairing buried pipe?

Also, I just read about a process of fixing a buried pool pipe by injecting a special leak-fixing compound. No cutting concrete. No digging. Crazy expensive, but if all else fails...

 

[jcline]

I was able to hear the leak after pressurizing the line. I can narrow it down to about a 3-4 foot section in the pipe by just sticking my ear to the ground and listening to the bubbling.

I thought about trying to find a stethoscope but I wasn't sure how much more accurate it would really make pinpointing the leak purely by sound intensity.

I am still trying to figure out if I want to deal with cutting concrete and fixing it now or in the spring. Either way thanks for all the help!

And Dirk, I tried the fix-a-leak stuff from amazon but it never lasted more than 2 weeks. Not sure what other compounds there are to fix pipe leaks without digging but I haven't been able to find any.

 

[JamesW]

The leak will most likely be at the wall or a fitting. If the sound is near the wall or where a fitting would be, then that's the likely place.

3 to 4 feet should be close enough to cut the concrete and begin digging.

You can rent a concrete cutting saw to make the hole. It's not too hard if you're comfortable doing that.

 

[Dirk]

And Dirk, I tried the fix-a-leak stuff from amazon but it never lasted more than 2 weeks. Not sure what other compounds there are to fix pipe leaks without digging but I haven't been able to find any.

Only stumbled on this, no idea at all about its legitimacy or success rate:

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