Maybe I found our leak (pic) Help!!

[AndieP]

I mentioned a leak on another thread and got some great advice. I've been looking all around and this morning noticed wet areas around the bottom of the filter. We are losing about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in 12 hrs with the pump off and almost 1 3/4 inches in 12 hrs with the pump on.

Here are a couple of pictures of the bottom of the filter. Is it normal to have this wetness? You can see the concrete slab wetness and then the sand is wet below the level of the concrete (second picture)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v512/twinsplus2/100_1130.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v512/twinsplus2/100_1131.jpg

Any continued recommendations and/or advice would be greatly appreciated.

It's a Triton Pac-Fab T60 Sand Filter. I have no idea how old the filter is but I am guessing it is at least 25 yrs old.

[Poconos]

Nothing should be wet outside the pool. You need to trace down the source of the wetness.
Al

[les_smith]

Our filter leaked at the drain cap on the bottom. I tightened it and it still leaked. So I decided to loosen it and just sung it up and it quite leaking. Stupid thing leaked for a whole year before I loosened it up and snugged again. Just a thought.

[nicole12]

Our filter also leaked at the bottom drain plug but only when the filter was running. If I put it on too tight it would leak and too loose it would leak. Finally we found a perfect place, not too tight, not too loose and it stopped leaking but our water level never decreased.

From looking at the pictures, I wonder if the filter is cracked at the bottom? I would start when the filter is running feel the top of the filter and the sides and see if it's wet, then you can rule out the gaskets at the top. Feel around the pump all fittings to see if anything is wet. You may have to take the sand out of the filter to check if it's cracked at the bottom, you don't want to be tilt the filter with sand in it because it can damage the laterals. I learned that the hard way. I put my sand filter in the garage every year and from tilting it back to put it on the dolly I cracked the stand that the laterals screw into.

I feel for you, water leaks in general drive me crazy.

[imfignewton]

It sounds like you have a pressure side leak. Some where under the ground after your filter. If your filter was leaking the amount of water your pool is loosing the pad would be flooded.

Some things to check.

Leaking out of the backwash
Leaking from hydrostatic valve in the main drain
Leaking through the back of the light niche
Leaking in the skimmer mouth or skimmer

But since your pool leaks more when on means you have a pressure side leak.

Hope this helps

[AndieP]

Thanks for the replies. I think the water around the filter might have been coming from the drain plug.

No leaking out of the backwash pipe.

I was looking around the filter and just happened to look down in the PVC pipe where the backwash and waste water goes and I can see water flowing down there. I am assuming that the pipe that is down there leads out to the sewer. Would any of the pool lines be connected to this somehow underground? I wouldn't think there should be water flowing down there. I an completely clueless on the plumbing. Should I call a plumber?

The main drain appears to be plugged with a square PVC knob looking thing. The people before us told us "there is no main drain." Well, it appears there was a drain there at one time but it has been plugged. I have no idea if that plays into this or not. DH said that there is another opening on the side down on the main drain....is that the hydrostatic valve? He can stick his fingers in it.

I am really just grasping at anything to try to pinpoint the leak.

Oh...I did the dye test in the skimmer and around the light and didn't see any obvious sucking in of the dye.

[matt4x4]

Hi Andie,
I gather it's an IG pool, not sure if that's been asked.
If your main drain is plugged successfully and you suspect the filter to be the cause of the leaking, then with your equipment off, you would not get any drop in water level on an IG pool.
If it's an AG pool however, you would get a drop in level, one way to test that is to shut off flow through the system, either by turning the shutoffs (if you have some) off or by plugging the skimmer and return. If the level continues to drop, it is not your equipment.

Somehow, I feel your problem does lie with the so called "main drain" that is supposedly plugged off.

[AndieP]

It is an old IG pool....23,000 concrete/plaster. We are losing water both with the pump on and off but we lose more with the pump running. Last night (over about 8 1/2 hrs) we lost about an inch and half. The skimmer was intermittently sucking air this morning :(

Would plugging the return jet and skimmer and turning the pump off and measuring water loss tell anything? I haven't done that yet. I am beginning to think that the filter is not the problem. I am getting very discouraged. And on top of that I'm having trouble getting the water to stay clear. :confused:

I guess I should just call a pool place to come out.

Again, thanks for everyone's help.

[opsman]

Before you go and call the pool place, plug each of the openings. I recall you have two, a skimmer and a return. I am still unclear as to what you have in the bottom. I suspect you have a main drain that may have been plugged because of a leak. Try to plug your lines off and see if the problem is there.