Even a small pinhole in the liner of your pool can result in significant water loss each day. To make matters worse, this type of small hole can quickly grow in size as the water pressure in your pool rapidly pushes water through the hole. That is why it is so important to repair this damage as soon as possible. Thankfully, by following the simple instructions below, you can now repair this damage in just three easy steps without the need to hire a professional contractor to do the job for you.
Materials You Will Need
- nail or screw
- 2L plastic bottle
- red food coloring
- waterproof duct tape
- measuring tape or ruler
- bucket
- vinyl liner patch
- patch adhesive (only if not using self adhesive patch)
Step 1: Make Sure It Is More Than Evaporation
It is quite common for people to fear they have a leak in their liner only to find that their true problem is nothing more than water evaporation. Thankfully, it is quite easy to differential between natural evaporation and a leak in your pool. In order to make this determination, simply fill a bucket with water from your pool until the water level is a few inches from the top of the bucket. Place the bucket near your pool so that it will receive the same amount of light as your pool water. Once the water inside the bucket has come to a rest, use a piece of waterproof tape to mark the current water level. Next, mark the current water level inside your pool using the same method.
After approximately 24 hours, return to your experiment to check the water levels inside the bucket and your pool. Using a measuring tape or ruler, simply measure the amount of water loss in each location. If your pool has lost considerably more water than your bucket, you are dealing with a leak.
Step 2: Find The Hole
Before you can repair the damage to your pool's liner, you will first need to pinpoint the exact location of the damage. While this may sound like a simple task, it can be much harder than you think. This is especially true when dealing with small holes or leaks at the bottom of your pool. Thankfully, there is a trick that you can use to make this process much easier.
Begin by filling an old two liter bottle with water and a few drops of red food coloring. Next, use a nail or screw to puncture a hole in the top of the bottle. This will allow you to slowly introduce the colored water into your pool.
Standing at the point furthest from your pool's filtration system, begin to slowly squeeze the colored water into your pool. Watch as the colored water is expelled from your pool through the leak. You now have the exact location of the damage.
If the location of your leak proves to be somewhere other than your liner, stop reading and contact a pool company like Bright And Clear Pool Care. You will require their services in order to repair the problem.
Step 3: Repair the Leak
Now that you know exactly where the leak is coming from, repairing this damage will be incredibly easy.
Begin by cutting your repair patch so that it is several inches larger than the damage you will be repairing. Using a pair of sharp scissors, round the edges of this patch in order to provide maximum adhesion. If your patch is not self adhesive, apply the patch adhesive to the back of the patch and fold it over on itself to prevent the adhesive from being compromised before the patch is in place.
Next, enter your pool and carefully apply the patch to the damaged area taking care to expel all air bubbles from below the patch. Finally, apply pressure to the patch for a few minutes to allow the adhesive to set completely. Your liner leak should now be a thing of the past.
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