Finding a leak in a vinyl liner pool.

Finding a leak in a vinyl liner pool.
If you own a vinyl pool, there will come a time when the vinyl develops a tear or a leak. Through age and use, vinyl pools can develop cracks or simply dry out and break because of the constant exposure to the sun.Vinyl liners must be kept full of water at all times to minimise the UV effect on the vinyl. Water chemistry is also very important as a low ph can cause wrinkling in liner and can be very destructive in a vinyl pool.

Finding a leak in your pool can be a difficult task but here are some steps to follow that will make it easier to find out if you have one. A major cause of water loss in vinyl pools could be splash out, so make sure this is not the case before looking for a leak that does not exist. We assume that you have considered other causes of leaks besides the liner (see our blog topic 6 February 2012: How do I know, if my pool has a leak?).

Inspect the liner of your swimming pool for any signs of wear or leakage. Locate the area that the leak is coming from. You can identify an area that is leaking by walking around the pool to see if there are any wet or soft spots on your lawn or in the area around the pool.

Look at the inside of your pool to locate any signs of tears / holes or indentations behind the liner that was not previously there. Diving with a mask is often the best way to see the leak especially if you are not having luck just looking around the pool. Leaks in the floor will often show themselves as a clean spot where the dust or debris is drawn by the leaking water through the hole (if you are lucky the debris may even stick in the hole). This is best done with the pump having been off for some time so the water is still (windy days are a problem). Areas around seams, corners, steps, skimmer boxes, lights and aim flows are especially susceptible to leaks.

If you are not sure about a leak - use a dye, such as phenol red from a test kit. Squirt some dye in the suspected area and observe if it is drawn into the leak.

Once you have located the leak.

Trim a piece of liner from a

Vinyl Patch kit
so that the patch is about 20-40mm larger than the leak area. Remove the corners from the patch so that you have a round or oval shape without corners. Use a big enough patch to cover the tear or hole without being too excessive. Using an overly large patch is not advisable.

Sand the back of the patch with a piece of sandpaper to rough it up so that it adheres to the liner better. Spread a layer of vinyl glue on the roughed-up side of the patch and even it out so that the glue covers the entire area of the patch evenly. Using a small amount of vinyl glue on a cloth clean the area in the pool to be patched by rubbing it (this will remove the oxidised layer and make for better adhesion).

Place the patch over the tear/hole in the liner and smooth out the patch so that there are no creases or bubbles. Make sure that the patch is not moved in the process and hold it in position, for about 30 seconds. Vinyl glue works under water as well as out of water, so there is no need to drain the pool. Allow the patch to dry.

Remember; more than one leak may exist, so after repairing the leak, monitor the pool for a couple days to be sure that you have repaired all leaks.

Now you can enjoy your pool again without the worry of water loss and costs associated.