Makes sense. I had a leak in my skimmer for years. I noticed that if I filled past a certain point it went down quickly, but couldn't figure it out. After a small chunk of plaster fell otf the face of the skimmer, and I noticed several large cracks there, I decided to let the water evaporate (over a long time) to well below. Then I painstakenly thoroughly patched in several steps. This was a few weeks ago. Result, the water now miraculously stays up to the tile level that I want. What a relief!
Kitchen knife pealing veggies. I think I got that brush/mirror in one of those kits you get when you fly in business class. Good little mirror to see around corners.
been to three different pool people and this is the first time it has ever been explained why the leak is there when the pool is full and not when it is half full - thanks, maybe now i can fix it
nice video - there are also rubber plugs called Light Cord Stoppers that can be used to seal up light conduit leaks, but yes the Pool Putty is the traditional method, lol
great video I had a leak around the return jet and applied epoxy and it worked! I also did the dye test and it sucked in Thank You Thank YOU!!! Saved $$$
Another product to plug the leak is butyl tape. Its actually a putty rolled up like tape. Very flexible and doesn't harden. User friendly. I bought it at West Marine. Its also sold at RV parts store
Good video, I do swimming pool leak detection and pool repairs. This is one thing I do not understand I have checked some almost new pool and when I do a leak detection I always check the light on every pool, but the thing that gets me is about 65% of the time nothing is sealing the light conduit in the light niche. I not trying to tell you what to do but their was no need to drain you water level down again. Leakmaster by Anderson sales a product called Butyl Tape easy to use & long lasting.
Standard food colouring - Available at any food store (bakery shelf). Glass & plastic bottles depending on brand you buy. (go cheap as it is going down the drain... literally ;)
hey i had a queston , i have a pentair 4000 series fiber glass filter container and it has a lil crack and water drips from it , how can i patch that up ??
@6066118 Good to know. Never heard of this product nor can I find much on the internet. Do you have a link, url, etc to assist other folks when making a choice over the two products?
If you don’t mind me asking. How long did it hold off the leak? I’m going through a similar situation with a light fixture. How long does it prevent the leak from coming back? I’ve heard multiple solutions (from fiberglassing the inside to changing the whole light and niche)
To this date, It has not leaked since. I’ll be opening the pool in a few weeks but I know, by taking a peak under the cover, that the water level is above the light already thanks to a lot of snow and a wet spring this year. Clive... (writing from my other google account)
I did not know how well the product would work and I wanted to ensure that I got the hole completely covered, so I did drain it well below the leak. Then I patched it with A+B and filled the pool back up (the water truck came back a second time) within the hour of applying it. That was almost 3 years ago and I have not had any issues since.
Do you think this would work on cracks in a concrete pool? We just moved into a home with an old inground concrete pool & it was fine for a week or two once I figured out the chemical side of things, but almost immediately after that, it starts giving us issues......most of which we can afford (barely) to have done professionally.....seems the filter just needs a maintenance service call that should only be in the low 100's.....but the worst of the issues are 2 hairline cracks on the shallow end floor of the pool, which just happened as they weren't there before, that i estimate that we cannot afford to have repaired by a pro...I've read that it can cost thousands....We would REALLY like to avoid just filling in the pool, as who wouldn't want to have a pool in their back yard? Especially with kids in the house, but at this point I figure if we can't get the issue of leaking (about 1 inch per day) fixed for 500$ or less....then we simply cannot afford to keep the pool. Please advise on if you think this product/process would be worth a try for our particular issue.
You have to find exactly where the water leaks through. If it is a long hair line crack it may be difficult to stop. Check the side of the box to see if it will adhere to the concrete. Actually it will be cheap to try, compared to the alternative.
sounds great...but we have a leak in the bottom now and the pool is full...its about an inch long...any suggestions...we really cannot afford to empty pool and refill..... water is real expensive here..
Have you ever used A+B or a similar product to fill a tear in the liner and give a patch something to adhere to? The patch jobs by my local pool place keep getting sucked into the tear, causing wrinkles in the patch which water then leaks through. I'd like to figure out a good way to fill in the tear/crack so it can be fixed permanently. The pool place wants to sell me a new liner. For right now rocks sitting on a trash bag covering the patch and tear is holding the water in the pool. But of course I need a permanent solution. Any thoughts?
sewashburn0529 A new liner is really the right answer. The liner may be so worn that you will get constant issues going forward. Not worth the hassle to keep trying to fix. ;(
Question that came to mind after watching this. Believe the epoxy cures better in water. Maybe was not able to access the light niche with pool full? All other pool repair videos using this method apply the epoxy in water. Any how, the repair was successful so good job.
Really nice video, Thanks. I have done the food dye test in the skimmer area and the dye disappears at the bottom. I am not seeing the same around the light fixture though and my pool is definitely losing water. Any idea where else the leak could be ?
+cholula Sorry I missed your comment from last month. Skimmers are made of plastic and can develop small hairline cracks that will leak water. Test with the filter turned off. The leak could be in the liner or the return pipes to the filter. Really really hard to say. If it is not obvious, then best to get a professional in to look at it. Leaving it unchecked could lead to bigger and more co$tly issues.
Can you apply that A+B epoxy under water, and will it cure under water? I may have a leak in my pool that is deeper than a reachable place near normal the water level.
Andrew Lohbihler Yes. It can be applied under water according to the packaging. But I did not have to do it as I drained the water below the leak area.
+Clive Woodrow. We have a pool with pebble tek on the sides and natural color (beige) tile above the water line. We have quite a large (1/16-1/4 inch across) crack that is running vertically from approximately two feet above the water line to about two feet below the water line. You said that this product dries white. What are your thoughts about using this for a larger issue than you had, and are there different colors? We had a professional do the pool test for us, and he advised that it would have to be stapled. Any experience with that sort of requirement?
Hello, I think I might have a leak in my pool. I performed a dye test and nothing. The dye just floated in the same area and did not move. I did it by the filter, drain, pool light, and skimmers and nothing. I also taped where the water is up to to see how much we lose. If there another test I can do to try and locate the leak? The filter has been off since last night and it’s still going down.
Sorry for the late reply. 1) The leak may be in the filter lines (sometimes they run underground). That would be hard to find without professional help. 2) Let the pool sit until the water stops dropping. Check the liner at that point for cuts or splits. The only problem with this is if the leak is in the deepest part of the pool, you will lose a lot of water waiting to see where the lowest level is.
My pool was leaking and I thought i figure it out and used epoxy to fix an area behind the pool light in the housing area. It was good for about 2 weeks until we had a bad storm and now it is leaking again. Do you think the epoxy came loose??
Have I ground pool. Water drops to about one inch Above all returns and skimmer. Done Dye test and visual in pool on all tile which were installed on Gunter surface. Am retired and Can't afford $279.00 for leak detection company
Found my leak right below the skimmer inlet opening, the plastic had separated from time. My pool leaked too but stopped right under the skimmer intake inlet (sorry I dont know what its called).
Donna LeFlore The pool light was still working, but the leak was in the housing. 3 years now and still no leaks. And I am in Canada so that area and the pool in general is frozen solid in the winter.
He put the dye in near the skimmer as a demonstration to show what the dye will do if a leak exists. This is what the dye did when he dropped it in near the light which is where his leak was.
The only problem with using epoxy is you won't be able to remove the the pool light wire from the conduit if it ever goes bad and has to be replaced! Thats why the wire is loose in the hole %65 of the time, it was designed that way.
The water level always settled at the lower part of the light. It never went below. That is where I used the die and found the leak. Still holding many years later.
@@clivewoodrow the leak detection team determined my leak was behind my light. A conduit had rusted away and they applied epoxy. The pool did not leak for a month after the epoxy but it started leaking again. I just closed the pool up 2 weeks ago. I looked today and the water level is above the light but in the middle of my outtakes. Those are plugged up but that is where my water level is. It has been frustrating !
An interesting discovery I use to get bubbles in my returns but the other day I was away for a few days so i filled pool up to bottom of the bull nose above the tile so pretty high up and just above the mouth of the skimmer. Noticed no bubbles in my returns or in the pumps basket unbelievable but how?
@@LubaLuba1 In fairness, I have no reference points to the issue other than your description. I would want to imply a cause or a fix based on that. I wasn't trying to be flippant, but I can see how it may have come across that way. One point - make sure the skimmer is always full with water and debris free. If the skimmer is "slurping" water that will cause air to get into the system. That is not good. Hope that helps.
Hello, do not understand what does your skimmer taken in water as a source of your leak has to do with the your light????please explain, are you hiding information your not disclosing?
great video. If you try the food color trick and still acn't find the leak you can try making a simple hydrophone, check out this youtube video How to make low cost Hydrophone FIND A POOL LEAK WITH HYDROPHONE KIT
Хобби
Thank you so much for taking the time to post this video, it was extremely informative and helpful.
Thanks Clive, very informative and info I needed to fix my leaks
Makes sense. I had a leak in my skimmer for years. I noticed that if I filled past a certain point it went down quickly, but couldn't figure it out. After a small chunk of plaster fell otf the face of the skimmer, and I noticed several large cracks there, I decided to let the water evaporate (over a long time) to well below. Then I painstakenly thoroughly patched in several steps. This was a few weeks ago. Result, the water now miraculously stays up to the tile level that I want. What a relief!
Thanks for taking the time and making this video. Big help.
Kitchen knife pealing veggies. I think I got that brush/mirror in one of those kits you get when you fly in business class. Good little mirror to see around corners.
Thanks! hopefully you've saved me hundreds. Leak detection companies are not cheap!
been to three different pool people and this is the first time it has ever been explained why the leak is there when the pool is full and not when it is half full - thanks, maybe now i can fix it
Lko me
Clever way to find the leak. Nice educational video.
THANKS FOR SHARING > great tutorial and very helpful!
Great video thanks for uploading it.
nice video - there are also rubber plugs called Light Cord Stoppers that can be used to seal up light conduit leaks, but yes the Pool Putty is the traditional method, lol
Top man thank you for this video that’s a brilliant pointer for me
Very helpful infos. I'm gonna try it. Thank you so much.
You are welcome.
great video I had a leak around the return jet and applied epoxy and it worked!
I also did the dye test and it sucked in Thank You Thank YOU!!!
Saved $$$
Jacques Leguelaff Glad it worked for you as well.
Another product to plug the leak is butyl tape. Its actually a putty rolled up like tape. Very flexible and doesn't harden. User friendly. I bought it at West Marine. Its also sold at RV parts store
It does work for pool light leaks only if you wrap the conduit and us a flat screw driver to push the butyl tape into the leak.
Clear and simple.
Very good video. Thanks.
Good video, I do swimming pool leak detection and pool repairs. This is one thing I do not understand I have checked some almost new pool and when I do a leak detection I always check the light on every pool, but the thing that gets me is about 65% of the time nothing is sealing the light conduit in the light niche. I not trying to tell you what to do but their was no need to drain you water level down again. Leakmaster by Anderson sales a product called Butyl Tape easy to use & long lasting.
awesome video!
Great Video. Currently working to find my leak as well.
+David Holliman Hope you found it!
David Holliman I
Hi, this epoxy works well in a aboveground pvc pool.Thanks
Thanks for all the positive comments. Glad this has been helpful to each of you.
Beutel bond Tape is what it's called I believe. Great video btw.
What type of bottle did you use to put the dye in, to pour out the drops?
Dude you are a life saver 😎👍
Glad to help.
UnderWater Magic works good in these types of situations too.
Standard food colouring - Available at any food store (bakery shelf). Glass & plastic bottles depending on brand you buy. (go cheap as it is going down the drain... literally ;)
Thanks Mate
My garden looks like Bugs Bunny's yard when I finally found a leaking light :-(
Now I have to fix it
Exactly. Surprised that it did not damage the surrounding wall. Lucky I guess.
hey i had a queston , i have a pentair 4000 series fiber glass filter container and it has a lil crack and water drips from it , how can i patch that up ??
Thank you
Where was the water going though, into the soil?
us windieldshied butyl rubber tape from the autoparts store. Much cheaper than the actual stuff made fo pools but is the same thing!
good info
@6066118 Good to know. Never heard of this product nor can I find much on the internet. Do you have a link, url, etc to assist other folks when making a choice over the two products?
I got a few hundred patches.. what should I use & where to get it?
Thanks for sharing!
+Fernando Quevedo More than welcome.
thankz it works
Yes
If you don’t mind me asking. How long did it hold off the leak? I’m going through a similar situation with a light fixture. How long does it prevent the leak from coming back? I’ve heard multiple solutions (from fiberglassing the inside to changing the whole light and niche)
To this date, It has not leaked since. I’ll be opening the pool in a few weeks but I know, by taking a peak under the cover, that the water level is above the light already thanks to a lot of snow and a wet spring this year. Clive... (writing from my other google account)
I did not know how well the product would work and I wanted to ensure that I got the hole completely covered, so I did drain it well below the leak.
Then I patched it with A+B and filled the pool back up (the water truck came back a second time) within the hour of applying it.
That was almost 3 years ago and I have not had any issues since.
Hi Clive. Is there other colors except the white. It will look silly in a blue painted cement pool....or does one just paint the proxy?
I have only seen it in white. But it is paintable once it hardens.
Now how do you fix a leak when its 40f outside :/ Good video!
Do you think this would work on cracks in a concrete pool? We just moved into a home with an old inground concrete pool & it was fine for a week or two once I figured out the chemical side of things, but almost immediately after that, it starts giving us issues......most of which we can afford (barely) to have done professionally.....seems the filter just needs a maintenance service call that should only be in the low 100's.....but the worst of the issues are 2 hairline cracks on the shallow end floor of the pool, which just happened as they weren't there before, that i estimate that we cannot afford to have repaired by a pro...I've read that it can cost thousands....We would REALLY like to avoid just filling in the pool, as who wouldn't want to have a pool in their back yard? Especially with kids in the house, but at this point I figure if we can't get the issue of leaking (about 1 inch per day) fixed for 500$ or less....then we simply cannot afford to keep the pool. Please advise on if you think this product/process would be worth a try for our particular issue.
You have to find exactly where the water leaks through. If it is a long hair line crack it may be difficult to stop. Check the side of the box to see if it will adhere to the concrete. Actually it will be cheap to try, compared to the alternative.
sounds great...but we have a leak in the bottom now and the pool is full...its about an inch long...any suggestions...we really cannot afford to empty pool and refill..... water is real expensive here..
1. Drain pool. 2. Hire dump truck driver to deliver and dump two truck loads of dirt into pool. 3. Plant sod
Have you ever used A+B or a similar product to fill a tear in the liner and give a patch something to adhere to? The patch jobs by my local pool place keep getting sucked into the tear, causing wrinkles in the patch which water then leaks through. I'd like to figure out a good way to fill in the tear/crack so it can be fixed permanently. The pool place wants to sell me a new liner. For right now rocks sitting on a trash bag covering the patch and tear is holding the water in the pool. But of course I need a permanent solution. Any thoughts?
sewashburn0529 A new liner is really the right answer. The liner may be so worn that you will get constant issues going forward. Not worth the hassle to keep trying to fix. ;(
if the stuff works underwater why did you drain the pool below the light
Question that came to mind after watching this. Believe the epoxy cures better in water. Maybe was not able to access the light niche with pool full? All other pool repair videos using this method apply the epoxy in water. Any how, the repair was successful so good job.
Really nice video, Thanks. I have done the food dye test in the skimmer area and the dye disappears at the bottom. I am not seeing the same around the light fixture though and my pool is definitely losing water. Any idea where else the leak could be ?
+cholula Sorry I missed your comment from last month. Skimmers are made of plastic and can develop small hairline cracks that will leak water. Test with the filter turned off. The leak could be in the liner or the return pipes to the filter. Really really hard to say. If it is not obvious, then best to get a professional in to look at it. Leaving it unchecked could lead to bigger and more co$tly issues.
I noticed you said it can be cured underwater; yet you drained the water to do the repair.
Can you apply that A+B epoxy under water, and will it cure under water? I may have a leak in my pool that is deeper than a reachable place near normal the water level.
Andrew Lohbihler Yes. It can be applied under water according to the packaging. But I did not have to do it as I drained the water below the leak area.
+Clive Woodrow. We have a pool with pebble tek on the sides and natural color (beige) tile above the water line. We have quite a large (1/16-1/4 inch across) crack that is running vertically from approximately two feet above the water line to about two feet below the water line. You said that this product dries white. What are your thoughts about using this for a larger issue than you had, and are there different colors? We had a professional do the pool test for us, and he advised that it would have to be stapled. Any experience with that sort of requirement?
Andrew Lohbihler
Hello,
I think I might have a leak in my pool. I performed a dye test and nothing. The dye just floated in the same area and did not move. I did it by the filter, drain, pool light, and skimmers and nothing.
I also taped where the water is up to to see how much we lose. If there another test I can do to try and locate the leak? The filter has been off since last night and it’s still going down.
Sorry for the late reply. 1) The leak may be in the filter lines (sometimes they run underground). That would be hard to find without professional help. 2) Let the pool sit until the water stops dropping. Check the liner at that point for cuts or splits. The only problem with this is if the leak is in the deepest part of the pool, you will lose a lot of water waiting to see where the lowest level is.
My pool was leaking and I thought i figure it out and used epoxy to fix an area behind the pool light in the housing area. It was good for about 2 weeks until we had a bad storm and now it is leaking again. Do you think the epoxy came loose??
elbren Hard to say, without seeing the area. Try the dye again. You may have a leak in a different area.
Have I ground pool. Water drops to about one inch Above all returns and skimmer. Done
Dye test and visual in pool on all tile which were installed on Gunter surface. Am retired and
Can't afford $279.00 for leak detection company
Found my leak right below the skimmer inlet opening, the plastic had separated from time. My pool leaked too but stopped right under the skimmer intake inlet (sorry I dont know what its called).
Saan makakabili
That simple ? .. no no ... What if a pvc is cracked under the concrete ?
Was the pool light working? Will the pool light work if there is a leak in the housing?
Donna LeFlore The pool light was still working, but the leak was in the housing. 3 years now and still no leaks. And I am in Canada so that area and the pool in general is frozen solid in the winter.
Clive Woodrow Did you do a dye test around the light that indicated that it was leaking?
I'm confused. I thought you had found the leak in the skimmer. You added food coloring and it was drawn into the skimmer. ????
He put the dye in near the skimmer as a demonstration to show what the dye will do if a leak exists. This is what the dye did when he dropped it in near the light which is where his leak was.
The only problem with using epoxy is you won't be able to remove the the pool light wire from the conduit if it ever goes bad and has to be replaced! Thats why the wire is loose in the hole %65 of the time, it was designed that way.
yes you can i do it all the time just takes a lil elbow grease to get started
Did your water level go below the light when you noticed the leak?
The water level always settled at the lower part of the light. It never went below. That is where I used the die and found the leak. Still holding many years later.
@@clivewoodrow the leak detection team determined my leak was behind my light. A conduit had rusted away and they applied epoxy. The pool did not leak for a month after the epoxy but it started leaking again. I just closed the pool up 2 weeks ago. I looked today and the water level is above the light but in the middle of my outtakes. Those are plugged up but that is where my water level is. It has been frustrating !
Hi, in which State did this happen?
Ontario, Canada
An interesting discovery I use to get bubbles in my returns but the other day I was away for a few days so i filled pool up to bottom of the bull nose above the tile so pretty high up and just above the mouth of the skimmer. Noticed no bubbles in my returns or in the pumps basket unbelievable but how?
The mysteries of pool ownership.
Clive Woodrow that’s it?
@@LubaLuba1 In fairness, I have no reference points to the issue other than your description. I would want to imply a cause or a fix based on that. I wasn't trying to be flippant, but I can see how it may have come across that way. One point - make sure the skimmer is always full with water and debris free. If the skimmer is "slurping" water that will cause air to get into the system. That is not good. Hope that helps.
Clive Woodrow Sorry I thought you were pool tech guy I don’t expect you to understand something if your not familiar pools.
I hope you had the pool light fuse off when messing with the light!!!
Safe and Sound.
Hello, do not understand what does your skimmer taken in water as a source of your leak has to do with the your light????please explain, are you hiding information your not disclosing?
watch the video again, unmuted this time.
Yes he is hiding information, he doesn’t want anybody to know how he fixed his pool leak. 🤦🏻♂️
It's called "Butyl Tape" (Not 'Beutal')
great video.
If you try the food color trick and still acn't find the leak you can try making a simple hydrophone, check out this youtube video
How to make low cost Hydrophone FIND A POOL LEAK WITH HYDROPHONE KIT
Robb's Homemade Life
Perhaps he meant "Butyl Tape"?
hi love you
+Elizabeth Holstein blushing...
Elizabeth Holstein
p
You know you can use that epoxy even under water, it will set under water.
And it is still holding 4 years later.
Why not just filled the pool with clean tap water? I say that truck has to be costing you a trip fee big time...
He might be on well water, which frequently contains metals.
I wish it was that easy to find a pool leak after 30 years you may find it once in every 100
Well it was worth the effort for me and maybe for others. Easy to try.
Thank you so much for taking the time to post this video, it was extremely informative and helpful.