If the water level of your above ground pool is declining then it is due to leakage in the vinyl liners. Most of the above ground pools have vinyl liners (sheets present between water and pool wall and floor).
Above ground pools are prone to leakages due to several reasons; your pool has a thin vinyl liner, tears, leakages due to pool equipment and many more.
However, leakages are a common practice. What matters the most is to find them before more damage is done.
And, let us tell you, repairing a leaked above ground pool is much easier than finding the holes and leakages on the pool liners and bottom surface.
But..!
We are here today to guide you how to find the holes, pinholes and leakages with the simple and easiest methods and the possible best and permanent methods to repair them once and for all.
Interested right? Let’s guide you step-by-step in detail.
How to Find a leak/hole in Above Ground Pool?
A lot of time people get confused if the pool water is declining due to natural evaporation process or due to leakage (tiny pinholes). And, it is difficult to identify the core reason.
However, the reduction in pool water due to the evaporation process is only 0.31 inch in 24 hours.
Still, calculations are difficult but if the level is reduced than usual or if you find any water patch near your pool, then the problem is leakage.
Furthermore, you must know about the types of leakages with respect to above ground pool types. So, let’s have a look at them first.
Most common Above Ground Pool leaks
For those who don’t know, there are only three options when choosing a pool (inground and above ground);
- Vinyl pool liners
- Concrete (in-ground).
- Fiberglass (in-ground).
So, when it comes to above ground pools, the pool liners are mainly vinyl-liners. Being said that, the most common leakage experienced by the users are in vinyl-pool liners whether pricked by a tiny object (any sharp tree branch) or due to thin liners (after using for years).
These are the possible causes which tell you, your pool is leaking.
Pool Equipment
Sometimes, people think the water is leaking due to holes in the liners and don’t check the equipment of the pool. You would be surprised to know, most of the time, the problem is in the equipment rather than inside the lining.
And sometimes, the problem also arises when you plan to clean your above ground pool and you do it in the wrong way and ending up with some leaks.
If you want to check whether the problem is with the equipment or not, then turn On the pool pump, the water will leak out more if there is a problem with equipment.
Another trick is to wipe the equipment (pool fittings, hoses, and all other components) and wait for a few minutes, if it is wet then you need to change the equipment.
Loose skimmers
We all know the importance of skimmers when it comes to above ground pools. The skimmer is attached to the pool’s pump and filtration system and it directs the water to the filter which further separates the debris.
Nonetheless, sometimes the skimmer gets loosened from the water pump and rather than directing the water to the pump, it pushes the water at the edges and water starts leaking from the pool.
The best indication for skimmer leakages are; if the level of pool water is declining at a faster rate from the skimmer.
Pool liners
On an average, vinyl pool liners have a shelf life of more than 10 to 12 years but it depends upon the usage. If you are likely to use your pool on a daily basis for extended periods of time, then there are high chances of tear issues.
There are two main reasons of vinyl liners leakages;
- Either the pool liner is too old and got thin.
- Tearing issues due to sharp objects or a user have ignored the small holes which have turned into a big mess now.
Detecting the holes in your vinyl pool liners doesn’t mean you have to replace the whole liner. You can fix the holes easily by patching it, which we will guide you in detail below.
Other than this, sometimes it could also happen because of a pool heater if not placed or being used properly.
Methods to find leaks in Above Ground Pools
Now that you know the major and most common causes of leakages in above ground pools, the next step is to know “how to find it”.
Frankly speaking, finding a hole or any leakage in your pool is very difficult (depending upon the pool size as well) and there are multiple methods for it.
We will guide you about the easiest ones and you can choose the best one as per your convenience.
1. Coloring method
The first method is to pinpoint the holes in your pool by food color or ink (don’t use textile dye otherwise the bottom of your pool surface might get permanent color).
You can apply this method in two ways.
Method number 1
Place food color or ink drops in the pool water and turn On the pool pump at the same time, if the ink is moving towards the opposite direction of the water (water will move towards the pump as it will have the least resistance), then the leak or hole would be there.
Method number 2
The other way is to jump in the pool by yourself (without draining the water though) and wear snorkel goggles. Take any syringe filled with leak detection chemicals and inspect the holes by yourself.
Bigger holes can be detected with a naked eye but for small pinholes you need to inspect them thoroughly and where you get suspicious inject the chemical at that spot, if the ink vanishes in it, then you have a leakage hole.
Mark the areas with the permanent marker to treat it later on.
PRO TIP: The leakages are mostly found between the wall and pool ground space, where the liner is a bit vertical rather than flat (here you will find possible holes).
This method is good for small to medium sized above ground pools and the advantage of this method is, one can exactly know where the leakage or hole is.
In addition, this method is preferred to those users who want to find and fix the hole then and there.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION: The 2nd technique is more efficient as the leak detection cleaners work efficiently than ordinary food color or ink.
Recommended for you: Ways to Lower the Alkalinity and pH in your Pool for better safety.
2. Water Bucket (DIY method)
The next method is the “bucket test” which is the most convenient method to find out if your pool is leaking or not.
This method is to perform when you want to confirm if your pool water is reducing either by evaporation or leakage.
- Take a bucket (without having any leakage) and fill it up with water to a certain limit and mark the point to indicate the initial level.
- Place it close to your pool and fill it with the water as well and make sure the water level is same as of the bucket and mark the initial level of the pool as well.
- Now wait for at least 3 to 7 days and check the water levels of both bucket and pool, if the water level of the pool has fallen faster than that of the bucket, then your pool needs attention.
3. Inspection of pool equipment
As we have mentioned above as well, sometimes the leakage of the pool is due to cracks in the pool equipment.
For that, keep checking the equipment from time to time and make sure to tighten the drain plugs.
Furthermore, try to lubricate the O-rings as well to prevent them from getting cracked in future. However, if you find any crack on the equipment, the best solution is to replace the parts (pumps etc.) or get them repaired.
Side Note: For better safety and hygiene, make sure to use Chlorine from time to time properly.
Best way to find a hole/leakage in the Vinyl pool liners
Among all the above methods, the most efficient and quick method is to use a syringe with any food color dye or leakage detection chemical (which we have mentioned in detail above as well).
However, be cautious about some things when performing this method;
- Make sure to turn Off the pump.
- Then, inspect the outer side of the pool very attentively and wait for the pool water to stay still. If you find any waterlogged patches near the pool then it means the pool is leaking.
- Then jump into the pool and perform the rest of the steps which we have mentioned above.
Ways to fix/repair the Above Ground Pool Leaks
Now comes the easier part, repairing your above ground pool is easy once you have located the hole and leakages.
Here we are going to guide you how to fix the pool liner and you can choose the best method as per your convenience.
Waterproof tape
The easiest way to repair an above ground pool having a pinhole and hole is to use water-proof tapes. After finding the leakages (by using any above method) mark the points with a permanent marker and then fix them with the water-proof tape.
One doesn’t need to drain the pool in order to place the tape. However, water-proof tapes are recommended when you have pinholes or little leakages in the pool.
Although the shelf life of the water-proof tapes is around 4-5 years, it depends upon how frequently you use the pool.
PRO TIP: After applying the water-proof tape, don’t put any kind of physical stress in the pool for at least an hour.
Vinyl patches
The other method to repair the leakages in your vinyl pool liner is to apply the vinyl patches which are made up of the vinyl material.
These patches stay longer than the water-proof tapes and are recommended when the pool liner has a medium sized leakage.
Just like tapes, these patches have a sticky end to be placed on the desired area.
Patch kits
The last method to repair your above ground pool is to use patch kits. These patches are the big chunks of vinyl liners that are ideal to use when your pool has a big hole or leakage.
These kits come with weather-resistant patches and adhesive ones, you can choose according to the need at the moment.
In addition, these patches last longer than the previous ones.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If your pool liner has multiple leakage holes and is thin enough to get torn any time, then change or replace the whole pool liner.
Seek Professional Help
If you are perplexed about repairing your pool by yourself even though repairing is much easier or if you don’t want to go through the whole process by yourself (finding and repairing), then it would be best to seek any professional help (plumber etc.).
However, it would cost you a few bucks and if you are fine spending them, then this one would be a good option.
Side Note: If you are planning to winterize your above ground pool, always make sure that you pools is leakproof and without any cracks before you close it. Otherwise, things could get worsen.
How to repair above ground pool skimmer?
A lot of people asked us this question about how to treat an above ground pool skimmer if it starts leaking.
Well, in order to inform you, a skimmer in an above ground pool is attached to a gasket via a face plate. If your skimmer is leaking, there are probably two reasons.
Either the screws are loosened or the gasket needs to be repaired.
- First of all, check the screws of the skimmer and if the leakage is due to loosened screws, then tighten them.
- If the pool is leaking even after tightening the screws, then you need to repair or replace the skimmer gasket.
NOTE: There are many “universal” skimmer gaskets available to fit in all above ground pool skimmers.
- Remove the faceplate of the skimmer by draining the pool water until its level is below to the face plate.
- Then remove the skimmer from the gasket and either fit a new one or use a silicone caulk and apply it on the gasket where you see cracks or leakages.
- Then place the skimmer into its previous position (after the silicone caulk dries) and tighten the screws.
- Place the face plate and screw it tightly as well and you are done.
You may also like: Ways to increase the pH of Pool
How to repair the above ground pool wall?
The best option to repair the wall of the above ground pool is to remove the pool liner, if there is rust (rust on above ground pool is easily removable and it doesn’t pose any threat to the pool) remove it by little poking.
Then, apply rust-Oleum and use sandpaper to smooth the wall. After that, it would be best to apply the water-proof tape on the wall after installing the pool liner.
Also to mention, you can just do this step right at the starting when you are just planning to install the above ground pool.
Final Words
We hope this article has been a great help for you. To pen off, if the water level of your above ground pool is reducing than usual then your pool is leaking. Finding the leakage is more difficult than repairing it.
However, the best method is to use a syringe with a leakage detecting chemical and dive into the pool by yourself. This method helps you to detect the leakages and then repair them then and there. For repairing, the best method is to use patch kits as they last longer than any other method.
However, if you fail to detect the leakages then opt for professional help.
