Roots2RealEstate

Much to our liking, as the fall drifted from luke warm days to winter, our new home’s pool started to lose 3 feet of water a day!  The pool emptied so fast that the top of the third step inside the pool was exposed in a week and a half.  Panic set in and my first reaction to my husband (who turns to me in most crisis situations as to what to do), was we can’t be losing that much water next to our home’s foundation!  I thought the best idea would be to drain it - but I was so wrong.

Going to the internet, I learned that I had a particular pool bottom that was a fiberglass liner and when emptied the pressure from the water that fills this liner is released and the liner could possibly “pop-up” causing the liner to break from its mold and more than likely may never go back down in place properly again.  I learned that it was important to keep filling the pool with water, despite the large amount of water that was disappearing to who knows where.  This daunted me as I waited for more than three weeks to get a live person licensed and equipped to inspect our pool and who specialized in pool leaks (apparently this one guy covers all San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Monterey Counties hence the long wait time).  Mike with American Leak Detection was helpful and taught me a few new things that I want to pass on to my fellow pool owners.  Attached is a video clip of how to determine if your pool is leaking or not, before you are charged with a $500. inspection and repair bill. It’s known as the bucket test.

After his inspection was complete of our pol, he determined that the sealant around the light fixture inside the pool had deterated from more than likely the overuse of the product called Shock, which is supossed to clean the algae and turn the water clear again.  This along with the ash and cholorine ate away at the metal ring and sealant holding the light fixture in place.  I would have never guessed that it would drain the pool that fast!  I learned that in the future if our pool is losing water again, that the water will drain just to where the leak is present, and in my case to the light fixture.  It was really neat to watch Mike suit up in his scuba gear and oxygen tank and dive in to weld and epoxy the light back into place.  I realized the value in his services and now have more of an appreciation and understanding of why he gets paid the big bucks he does from just watching him do the diagnostic check and repair. 

It was a costly experience, one I hope not to repeat any time soon.  By the way, when they dug that giant hole where my pool now sits, I also learned that they line the shell of the hole with sand, pebbles, and other water absorbing material so the water does have a place to exit to in case of leaks, a huge relief to me to know that my foundation was not affected.