Have a customer with a gunite pool, previous service guy did more bad than good to this pool in several areas. Wil not get into the long line of it, so this is what we have done so far:

turned all power off & let water drain down
only about an 1" of water at MDrain area
sealed with putty several areas showing gaps/cracks around top of drain

with the water draining to this point, would'nt one assume the returns/skimmer/Polaris/lamp lines have no issues ?

As always, thanks all !

Dean

are you just trying to search the leak by letting the water drain to it?....here in the tristate area, that is a bad idea, I imagine it is a bad idea in other parts of the country too.

why not A, dive the pool to search the shell and inspect the main drain and lites and B,pressure test the lines.

those lines could still be faulty, as could the lites, you will not know until the pool is filled and/or they are tested.

As a diver I have seen plenty of cracks that do not leak, in full pools. I have also seen plenty of problems arise from pools being emptied.
I m not sure what your goal is, but if the pool is still empty, at leasy you can pressure test the main a little easier while it is empty.

good luck

Andrew

Dean
Allowing a pool to go empty by letting it leak down or pumping it down is a major mistake and a potentially monumentally huge lawsuit.

An empty pool can pop out of the ground due to hydrostatic pressure, one heavy rainstorm could saturate the ground and lift the pool up.

Secondly, an empty pool surface, exposed to the heat and drying of the sun will cause the plaster to delaminate, crack and pop up.

Thirdly, an empty pool is a dangerous falling accident waiting to happen.

And most older pools have several leaks. Leaks in the tile line, the entrance to the skimmer, the edges of each pipe fitting, cracks, and lights, can only be dye tested with the pool FULL. The pipes can be tested with the pool full or empty, but nobody empties a pool to test a pipe.

Perhaps you can join us at the Atlantic City Pool and Spa show, Lance will be teaching a seminar on Leak Detection, Wednesday Jan 25, 2012. Or if you can't make it then call Lance and order the Leak Detection Basics DVD.

The sooner you fill the pool, fully inspect, test, and fix all the leaks the better.

Good leak detectors are always learning, thanks for your questions and be sure to report back with your findings.

Bruce
poolrepairdiver.com

OMG, if it shifts up do post some pictures, meanwhile brrscuba advice is 100 % spot on, get water back in pronto, if not sooner.

where iz it?...i'll bring my skateboard

Funny Sdewolfe! As far as pressure testing main drains, I use a few different techniques. The first step I take when starting a job is pressure testing to the head pressure of the pool. Usually will get 3-5 psi by blowing air through the line till bubbles come up. I will let that sit while I set up plugs everywhere else. If that pipe holds its probably good, not 100% but saves me gettin wet while I check elsewhere. I think we all agree never to let a pool go empty...

You can also get a long hose that attatches to blow ups and slide it down, inflate and pressure up. Be careful not to go too high or you will push your blow up down past retrieval.

What are blow ups? Are you talking about the inflatable plugs? Could you post a picture of a blow up? I would appreciate it.

Yes they are the inflatables. One is on the product rotation frame on the front page of this website.

Assume should never be in a leak detectors vocabulary! If the pool is draining all the way down to the main drain, thats probably the leak. "Probably" only goes so far. Abandon the main drain and see if the loss continues.