How do u find small leaks on the floor of vinyl pools without draining the water?

Question

How do u find small leaks on the floor of vinyl pools without draining the water?

Answer 1

If you're positive that it's a hole in the vinyl and not a leak in the plumbing, you do it the old fashioned way. Eyeballs and dye.You can use an old bottle of your pH reagent (phenol red) as the dye. Grab a mask and go hunting for obvious holes. Use a squirt of the dye in the suspect areas. If the dye is drawn in, there's your leak.

There are some spots to check first. If you notice the liner "pillowing" off the bottom, check the vicinity.  If you have kids between 10-16 years old, check the deep end around the main drain. Kids tend to use a pool pole to retrieve objects like masks and fins off the bottom. They forget that water refracts and they usually miss on the first stab, leaving a nice smiley face gash in the vinyl that oddly enough is the same shape and size as the business end of a pool pole that has no attachment on it. This accounts for probably 75 % or more of the holes I've patched. After that, other common areas are around return and skimmer face plates, under ladder bumpers, around built in stair strips and within an inch or so of your water level on the wall. I've seen a number of kids try to boogie board across a pool or toss an oar and that's where a hole will happen.

If you still can't find it, you can either hire a service company that has an inhouse diver or hit a dive shop asking for a diver to come have a peek. I get calls from both ( I own a dive service) and I do favours for a pal that own a pool company. You might find someone similar in your area.