How to Find a Hole in a Swimming Pool Liner

Vinyl lined swimming pools are less expensive than other types of pools.

Pools utilizing vinyl liners are less expensive than pools using gunite or fiberglass linings. The trade-off is leaks in the vinyl liner. Leaks can range from unnoticeable all the way to extreme leaks that reduce the swimming pool's water level by inches per day. Finding small leaks in a vinyl liner is a difficult chore that can take hours or even days, but most leaks are centralized around equipment installed through the liner. To find the leaks involves climbing into the swimming pool and checking common areas with a slow dissolving red dye.

Things You'll Need

• Dry rags
• Red paint marker
• Dye testing kit

Instructions

1. Turn off the pool equipment. Dry the piping between the pool and the pool equipment with dry rags.

2. Turn on the pool equipment. Inspect the dried piping for signs of water. Water may release from a leak in an aggressive stream or slowly trickle from the connections in the piping. Mark found leaks by circling the area around the leak with a red paint marker. Turn off the pool equipment after you have checked and marked all piping.

3. Enter the swimming pool with the pool equipment off, keeping the dye testing kit out of the pool water.

4. Release dye from the testing kit around the pool skimmer. Watch the dye. If you notice dye pulling toward the liner, the vinyl liner around the skimmer has a leak or leaks.

5. Move to another installed piece of pool equipment and repeat the dye test. Note all locations that contain a leak.

6. Contact a leak detection contractor if you cannot locate any leaks in the vinyl pool liner. Pool liner companies use sophisticated equipment to detect leaks in less common locations.

References

• Anderson Manufacturing Company, Inc: Vinyl Leak Detectors
• Poolcenter.com: Vinyl Liners
• PR.com: PcPools Announces Tips to Determine Pool Leak