A leak in a swimming pool may seem like an insignificant problem to many pool owners. “I’ll just keep filling it up with the hose” they think, “what’s the big deal?” However, you may be unaware of all the damage a pool leak can cause if left untreated, leading to very costly pool repairs and pool deck repairs down the road. I would like to briefly touch on a few common problems that can be caused my a “simple” swimming pool leak.
The first problem associated with any pool leak is damage to the swimming pool finish, often known as marcite, plaster, or gem, due to unbalanced water chemistry. As the treated pool water leaks out into the ground and is replaced with untreated hose water, the pools chemical balance inevitably gets out of balance. Examples of this could be a lack of calcium in the pool water in relation to the alkalinity, or a lack of cyanuric acid (also known as stabilizer), or a very high or low pH. This unbalanced pool water can also cause damage to your pool equipment (see last paragraph). All of these problems are almost guaranteed to happen as you constantly top off your pool with hose water, and each of these problems can cause damage or staining to your pool finish resulting in costly repairs down the road.
The second major problem associated with a swimming pool leak is damage to the structure of the surrounding pool deck and/or pool shell (the concrete structure of the pool). As a pool leaks water into the ground, it often washes out the sand underneath the pool deck creating a void. This void often leads to cracks in the pool deck which is an indication of settling. If this settling gets bad enough, the movement of the pool deck can result in cracking the pool shell. Unfortunately this is very common and is usually caused by water leaking under the deck and around the pool, as well as many different factors regarding how the pool was constructed. If a cracked pool deck is bad, then a cracked pool shell is 10 times worse.
The last major problem I am going to talk about today involves damage your pool equipment which can be caused two ways by an untreated pool leak. The first problem has to do with the water chemistry being unbalanced and the satruation index being outside +/- 0.5. Unbalanced water is often corrosive toward metals and other materials that are found in your pool equipment. This can result in damage to your pool pump and motor, your pool filter cartrige, your chlorine or salt generator, and your plumbing valves. The second, and most common form of damage to your equipment, results from the water level in the pool dropping below the “throat” of the skimmer. If the water level gets so low that the skimmer only sucks in air and not water, the pump will run dry and overheat. This often results in the motor overheating and needing to be replaced, but can also result in melting critical parts of the pump, like the housing or impeller, which would need to be replaced as well. All caused by a “little” pool leak! One thing I have learned in my 20+ years of working on pools is that small problems usually turn into big problems. In respect to swimming pools, It is always best to catch a small problem early, fix it properly, and move on. Putting off fixing problems with swimming pools, especially pool leaks, will only result in costing you way more time, aggrivation, and money down the road.
Jeremy Spilman
Owner, Absolute Pool Repair.
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