Aboveground Pool Water Loss

Winter Water Loss

After your pool is closed and covered for the winter and you are noticing a water loss, here are some tips:

If you see your pool cover sinking in, you probably have a leak in the pool liner.  There can be many possible causes, ranging from one small hole to many microscopic pinholes.  At this time of the year it is too cold to address the issues and repair the liner.  Unfortunately, you must wait until spring when the weather warms up.

In the meantime, we recommend that you either release your winter cover cable or untie your cover.  This will help to ensure your pool does not suffer major structure damage.  If this isn’t done, the weight of the snow, ice, and water on top of your cover will put incredible stress on the pool frame, sometimes collapsing the whole pool!  After you do this, if it is at all possible to try to maintain 1 – 2 feet of water in the pool, this will also help support the pool from wind damage.

From here, you have done everything possible for your pool to hopefully survive the rest of the winter.  Please contact us in early March to book an appointment for spring!

In-Season Water Loss

During the pool season, water loss can occur from many things.  Filter leaks, holes in the liner, evaporation, or splashing out are some of the most common causes.  Here are some tips:

1. Splashing out:  This is the most common if your pool is heavily used and there are a lot of people in the pool.  Simply re-fill the pool and watch your water level.
2. Evaporation:  Every spring and summer season brings many combinations of weather.  Typically, very hot days, or a combination of hot days and cool nights, can cause your pool water to evaporate.  In some cases, people can lose up to one inch overnight!  Simply re-fill your pool, but continue to watch your water level.  You can mark the water level with a small piece of tape and measure the level with a ruler every 24 hours if necessary.
3. Filter leaks:  Examine your filter area.  Check all fittings for wet spots.  Also remember to check your filter hoses, along with the skimmer & return area connected to the pool wall.  In most cases, these can be easily repaired by the homeowner.  If you are unsure, please call us for an appointment.
4. Liner leak:  This can be the most complex of all the causes.  Again, there are many possibilities.  First, check around your ladder area.  This is the most heavily travelled spot in the pool, and typically is where much wear on the liner could be.  Also, check around the outside of your pool.  In some cases, a wet spot on the ground could correspond with a hole in the liner in that area.  Next, do a visible inspection of the liner itself.  Some holes are large enough to see.

If there is nothing visible, this could mean that you have many small, microscopic pinholes.  There are 2 common causes of this.  The first is from heavy vacuuming or brushing too close to the pool wall.  A plastic edge on a brush or vacuum, over a period of time, will wear through the vinyl liner against the corrugated metal pool wall.  The second cause of pinholes would be due to an infestation of insects under the pool liner, chewing pinholes through the backside of the liner from underground.  Typically, the insect would be a termite doing this damage.  Other insects could be black ants or earwig beetles.  If this is determined to be the cause, we highly recommend having a professional exterminator treat the area before installing a new liner.  Please contact us for more information regarding this instance.

In either case of multiple pinholes, a liner replacement is inevitable.  Please call us if you cannot find the holes in your liner.  We can do what is called a “leak detection”.  We have an electronic device, which our personnel are fully trained to operate, that can locate the hole, or holes, in the liner.  If there are only a couple of holes, and the pool water is clear enough to see the bottom of the pool, we can usually patch the holes on site.  If there are too many holes to patch, we will make our recommendations to you at that point.

If a liner replacement is needed, our professional staff will help work you through what is needed to schedule this.  Please contact us or call our Aboveground service department at 413-594-2666, extension 134.