Do you feel like you’re topping off your swimming pool water more often than you should? If so, you may be dealing with a water loss issue. There are a number of factors that can lead to water loss in a swimming pool, and some of them are easier to solve then others. In this guide, we will go over how to fix water loss issues in swimming pools so you can preserve your pool’s water level.
Defining “Water Loss”
There’s a difference between natural evaporation rates and mechanically-driven water loss. If your pool water is dropping more than 5/8″ per day, chances are you have a water loss issue. Of course, you are likely to lose more water per day during the summer than you are during the cooler months because the heat is causing the water to evaporate at an accelerated level. Monitor your pool’s volume on a day to day basis and see if you have a potential leak somewhere.
Pro Tip: Place a piece of electrical tape directly above the water line on the edge of the pool to use as a reference for the next day’s measurement. Measure your pool water at the same time the following day to get the most accurate results.
Identify the Source of the Leak
If you know you’re facing water loss and not just evaporation, you need to figure out where the leak is coming from. You could hire a professional pool inspector to come to your home and check your equipment for you. He will show you what parts of your pool equipment are faulty or broken, and he will make suggestions for necessary repairs.
If you are going to conduct a pool inspection of your own, you can start by looking over the backwash hose. There is an o-ring inside the hose that often breaks or tears, causing water to leak out. O-ring sets are only about $10, and they’re fairly easy to replace.
Aside from the backwash hose, you can look over all visible pool equipment to see if there are any noticeable leaks while it is running. If you have narrowed down the leak to one piece of equipment but you aren’t sure where it is coming from specifically, you may need to hire a professional to come out and do the repair for you. It would be better to do this and just get a replacement part than having to buy a whole new piece of pool equipment because you aren’t sure what you need to do.
Replace or Repair Old Pool Equipment
Different types of pool equipment wear down at different times. For instance, some components of your filtration system may wear down quickly if you have a large number of trees around your pool. The more work your pool equipment has to go through, the faster it will wear down. With regular pool inspections, you can learn about repairs before they get too severe and fix your equipment before it needs to be replaced.
Regardless of the state of your equipment though, you should complete the repair or replacements necessary to keep your pool in proper working order.
