How do you find a leak in a vinyl pool liner?

Answer 1

A professional swimming pool leak detector can use electronic equipment to locate the leak with 100% accuracy. If you are doing it on your own, it is simply a matter of visual inspection. Look for telltale signs, such as divits in the bottom, though they will not always be present. Check around the bottom of the wall, which is the most common area that gets holes due to cleaning equipment. Also check high traffic areas. There is a website I am not affiliated with called LeakTools.com, where you can locate a professional leak detection company in your area.

Finding a Leak in an Above Ground Pool LinerUse Fix-A-Leak made by Marlig. You just pour it in your pool and it will find and fix all leaks up to 1/8". Usually if the hole is bigger than that you will find it by snorkeling around and using an underwater patch (which you can get from Walmart or similar stores that have pool supplies). I posted the website, and you can even search for "Marlig" on Ebay. It's $34.95 + 8.95 handling for a quart that does up to 22,000 gallons. You shouldn't add more than one quart for every 5,000 gallons. But the quart will do up to 22,000 gallons. It even fixes leaks around your lines. The instructions are on the website I posted as well as on Ebay.

Here are more recommendations from other FAQ Farmers:

• This may not be the answer your looking for, but we used goggles and just went around looking really carefully. It took a while but we did it! There were small air bubbles around the hole - actually we found four holes, but at least we got them!

• We've had our pool for about 12 years (are in the process of possibly replacing it) and have had only one hole in liner in all those years. The way I found it (yes, the water appeared to be draining, first) was that the grass in an area around the pool was much greener than anywhere else. So, diving down around that area I found the slice in the liner, actually fairly quickly, and placed a wet patch on it, which held thereafter.

• First check the perimeter of the pool for soaked areas or look at the sand cove and see if any craters have formed, as the water washes away the sand it will leave a ctater in the floor. For small leaks try this. Turn off your pump so the water is still. I put in a dozen os so 3" squares of paper towels scattered through out the pool. As the water leaks out it will drag a couple pieces of paper towels to the leak. This method has worked for me in the past for small leaks.

• We were told to use red food coloring. When you drop it in the water, it will be pulled towards the hole. It can take awhile.

• Use a rubber hose to listen for the leak! Fill with water, plug both ends and put one end to your ear, and probe around the liner with the other end. Make sure it's a quiet evening and beleive it or not, even a small leak makes a lot of noise. If you have some electronics background, a small microphone encased in epoxy and a good audio amp will make a excellent leak finder.

• You sound like you are sure that you have a leak and the answers above cover that. I just wanted to offer a hint to anyone that isn't sure whether they have a leak or if the water is just evaporating. Fill a bucket full of water - level with the pool - and place it on the step - if it is evaporation - the level should drop about the same.

• The most common way to locate a leak is to swim to the bottom of the pool with a bottle of food color. Squeeze a drop or two by seams or other suspicious locations. The leak will draw the water towards and out of the hole. It is helpful to wear a pair of gogles and to drain the pool leaving about three to four feet of water.

• See the Related Link for "Use this in your pool to fix ANY leak" to the bottom for the answer.

I used Automotive Goop to make repairs in the vinyl liner from the outside. If the hole is small you can wipe away the running water, clean the surface with paint thinner, and apply the Goop to the hole. The water may leak through at first, but apply pressure and smear it into the hole and the leak will hopefully stop. (I lick my finger to prevent the goop from sticking to my skin so I can work it) It worked for me on numerous holes (my crazy dog goes ballistic over water and won't stop jumping at the walls:)and it is a cheap fix. After the first application is dry, add more layers. Hope this helps.

I had a leak in the tile border of my pool liner, and It was really bleached and faded at the waterline i fixed by using a cool product called Borderlines adhesive swimming pool tile borders, its a peel and stick on 4mil thick tile border that come in different tile patterns. The job was super easy and my pool looks new again, go to www.poolsandwaterfalls.com they are the cheapest on the internet with free shipping, i had them in 2 days at my door.

Answer 2

i have a small rust stain and small hole on outside half way down the pool wall

will my hole be right there.it only makes sense to me.the water has drained down just past that mark.should i patch it there or use the food colouring to make sure.