Great video! Looking forward to trying this at home to fix my leak. Appreciate it.

Useful video. Question. I have the same problem on a empty pool with water coming out. I replaced the hydrostatic valve. My leak is coming from the hdrostatic valve. Should I use cement all around the new hydrostatic valve? I can also see water coming through the suction pipe. What should I do? Thank yoy.

Hi Dave I am remodeling the house and saw a hairline crack in the side of the pool about 1/8 of an inch in plaster whether it is from schemer or the body of the pool , please advice what material I can use? thanks I am located in Dallas Texas

@DoItWithDave

3 ай бұрын

Well if it's not causing a leak it's probably just the age of the Diamond Brite. If there is a leak you could try using Pool Putty. If it's an aesthetic issue there's more work involved. One process would be draining the pool, dropping the water line below the crack. Chip out to create a valley where the crack is, mix Diamond Brite that matches your current finish and patch the valley. At that point you may never get the correct match and it may stand out a bit. Maybe not underwater so much. Probably not the reply you were looking for. I hope this helps.

Excellent video. I had the same problem however, my pool was refilled with water during my absence fore I was able to fix this. Now the water level is dropping daily. Would you recommend drain the pool again or try fixing with the water in the pool?

@DoItWithDave

8 жыл бұрын

+Peter Mistak I would try to fix this issue without draining the pool just because of how expensive it is to refill with city water. Depending on if you will be diving by holding you breath, using a tank or you can get your hands on a Third Lung a helper may greatly benefit you. There are a couple of options since your pool is already full. You can try the Cement All just keep in mind that it does turn the water mercy and can hinder your ability to see. There is a product call Pool Patch its very similar to Cement All however it is a white powder and won't block you're vision so much under water. However it is not a common item for purchase. There is another product called Pool Putty. Pool Putty is a great product for many applications. It is a 2 part epoxy, once joined the 2 components have a clay like feel and is workable for about 10 minutes before it becomes hard to mold. Since you're pool is full the water should be pushing out of the shell so the application would be forced into the void rather than out. I suggest Pool Putty overall. Just one thing about the pool in this video. When I first investigated the main drain it looked like someone had stopped the leak previously using Pool Putty. So it did work with water in the pool but when there is no water forcing down on the shell the underground water will force it's way up. So the Pool Putty kept water in but not out. I hope this helps. Thank you very much for watching. P.S don't forget goggles.

Awesome Video!

Great videos!

Hi Thanks for the video....I have a concrete pool and I suspect that the main drain is leaking....it’s not attached to the pump ....ist ok if I seal it completely with concrete.....thanks

@DoItWithDave

6 жыл бұрын

James Gabriel I've seen ppl complete pour in a concrete main drain before because it was the least expensive option. However they ended up installing an automatic vacuum because without a MD any dirt on the floor will just sit and may end up staining the diamond bright. I hope this helps.

I have a similar problem. I'm trying to replace the liner on my pool but the inground water keeps flowing in thru a couple of cracks and collecting about 2 gallons every 5 min. How do I stop the water from coming in. I just need enough time to replace the liner and start adding the water. I'm hoping that once there is enough water inside the pool it will stop the inground water from coming in.

@DoItWithDave

7 жыл бұрын

Well if your pool is a concrete shell then you could try powdering the cracks with the Cement All. Basically sprinkling the materiel over the cracks for hair line. If they are larger then mix by hand until it becomes clay like and pack it in. If you have a stainless steel you may want to use some sort of rubber sealing tape. FlexSeal makes a product. What should happen after the pool is full, the water pushing up should equalize by the water sitting in the pool. I hope this helps.

Where an purchase the material??

Your suggestion(s) needed: My hard plastic drain under the pool has shift or tilted under the bottom of the 1982 built pool and water is leaking. What do you suggest?

@DoItWithDave

Жыл бұрын

Not exactly sure of what the issue is. Is the drain plastic with a cover? How do you know it's shifted, can you see a gap between the drain edge and pool shell? Is your pool currently empty?

@tunathom

Жыл бұрын

@@DoItWithDave Once I drain the pool, I'll get back with you. I was referring to the housing tilting, but I'll take pics after draining.

Any idea how to patch if it's coming around the rim on the drain?

@DoItWithDave

2 жыл бұрын

If your pool is currently drained and water is coming up from around the drain rim you could try using this material and a little bit at a time pack the rim until you get the water flowing in at just one point. Then you could wait for the material to set up until it's almost not workable and force it in place. If you pool is full I have another video showing how to patch underwater. I hope this helps.

My concrete pool, which is covered in a layer of fiberglass, loses 1" of water a day. I've owned this pool for 5 years and each year around this time, I wait to see if I can figure out where the leak is by letting it drain down, down, down. It isn't the skimmers. Right now the water is 1.5 feet below the required water line. My plan is to let it keep going until it stops. I've had leak detection companies come in, a pressure test, etc. No one can find it. BUT - no one has checked the main drain. Ther is no hydrostat in the main drain. I plugged the hydrostat hole last night, but it still lost 1" last night. Just plugged the main drain this morning to see if there's a leak in the pipe. I've used leak detection liquid. Nothing. Any ideas?

@DoItWithDave

2 жыл бұрын

Since you're letting the waterline drop until it stops you may want to turn off all equipment, close any ball valves on your equipment, remove the pump lid and release pressure from filtration. This is just to break any gravity suction or back pressure for the pool. This will allow the water to be stagnant and go where it wants to go. After that just let the waterline drop until it stops, return lines, light niche, main drain. You say your pool is covered in a layer of fiberglass. I'm not sure how that system works exactly however you may find the water drops to where the finish has been compromised and would need to be patched. One thing to keep in mind is the water table. If it starts raining heavy or you live next to a large body of water allowing the water to drop lower than the in ground water table could cause your pool to pop up out of the ground. Definitely want to be mindful of that. I've done leak detection for commercial and residential pools and when a leak was really tricky I'll let the water drop until it told me the TRUTH! lol water don't lie. I hope this helps. Reach out if you have any questions.

Hello! I have an inground pool and have a leak at main drain.. can I use CEMENT ALL to permanently close off drain?

@DoItWithDave

4 жыл бұрын

Yes you definitely can if it's your last resort. A lot of times the main drains will be plugged or completely sealed if the leak is to difficult or expensive to repair (broken pipe under a poured pool deck or deep on side of pool. If you've determined that this is the case then it may be the option. One thing just know the only suction line will be the one off the skimmer. It should be enough to circulate the water. If you want more info for m that you can look up "main drain pools vs skimmer only pools" it may help your final decision. I hope this helps.

@TruongLe-eo8kh

2 жыл бұрын

My main drain is plugged from the top at the skimmer. But it is not completely plugged at the bottom floor drain just like in the video. I dive down to collect debris and palm seeds that accumulated over these years. I saw an opening on the side just like in the video. I found used battery, 2 round metal balls, plus palm seeds and a lot of dirty dead leaf that accumulated and become mud when stirred and polluted the water near the main drain area. We have 2 palm tree next to the pool. I hired Mr Park for our poolman from previous owner. He didnot do a good job vacuuming those stuffs that sat in the floor drain. My question since we own house for 10 plus years we have never used the main drain anyway until I started replacing the pump and started learning more about pool maintenance. Should I unplugg the main drain and started using it to circulate thr water or just leave it alone. Unless there is a leak that could be the reason why the PO plugged off at the skimmer. What do you think? I plan to buy a king drain bladder then unplugg from the skimmer, push the bladder down turn on the water and blast everything that has accumulated at the main drain area then dive down the collect those that could have clogged the pipe. That probably the reason why po plugged it . Thanks

so, your main drain is no longer functioning since its all plugged up with repair cement?

@DoItWithDave

7 жыл бұрын

J whome the main drain in this pool was basically framed out with concrete and the main drain line was ran through the inside wall of the main drain. The leak was accruing from around the bottom of the pipe. I just stuffed the opening with concrete patch leaving the pipe opening exposed. I did bring a bit of the patch over the lip and inside the pipe, however this did not seem to restrict the flow of water. At the end of the video I pretty much dusted the entire inside of the main drain with a thin layer of patch to somewhat seal the original concrete.

my main drain was sealed and closed by a tech with hydraulic cement. he said that it would be cheaper just to close it off. Is there a way to reverse this and reopen and fix the main drain?

@DoItWithDave

7 жыл бұрын

From what you posted it sounds like the tech did this because the Main Drain wasn't leaking but the pipe going from the main drain running under the pool and around to the pump was. Possibly a cracked pipe, bad glue joint or pinhole in pipe. The only way to remove the hydraulic cement would be to chip it out of the MD without damaging it, on top of that the pipe might have cement inside of it. If you are going to try and do this I'd suggest doing a pressure test on the MD line from the inlet of the MD to just before the pump. Unfortunately your tech guy is telling the truth about expense.

@pumajr05

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the reply. He did say that the leak was where they connected and that it was previously repaired. It started leaking about 6 months after we bought our house.

Hey there. Where is the hydro valve in this pool.?

@DoItWithDave

7 жыл бұрын

The main drain in the pool was concrete. I guess the original plan didn't call for a modern main drain with threaded openings for plugs.

@leemooreStudio

2 жыл бұрын

Won't that put this pool owner at high risk of his pool popping out the ground? Shouldn't he/she try and clear the cement?

Do we use Hydro-static relief valves in the floor drain in Florida still?

@DoItWithDave

4 жыл бұрын

Yes any new construction of an in ground concrete residential pool in Florida calls for a valve, maybe not if it's a pilling pool.

@RussellD11

4 жыл бұрын

@@DoItWithDave mine was "caped" off, so i should probably install one huh? obviously someone didnt want to deal with it, or it was leaking at one time,ect...so they screwed a cap in it. mine is a 1990 concrete pool

@DoItWithDave

4 жыл бұрын

@@RussellD11 if you want to install one in case you plan on the pool being empty. If there is a cap on there now maybe the MD never got a valve on diamond Brite day, just a cap. Also when you say cap do you mean a threaded nipple is extended with a cap on the end? Usually ppl will replace valve with threaded plug.

@RussellD11

4 жыл бұрын

@@DoItWithDave yes, Its empty and im doing some repairs and noticed its a threaded 1-1/2 cap. So im thinking maybe i should replace the cap with a valve there b4 i refill her? to be clear, Under the floor grill/cover there is one not threaded 1-1/2 PVC main floor pipe which is clear and open and runs to the skimmer, and then next to it is a threaded pipe , again 1-1/2 which is capped with a square wrench knob on it... If I take the cap off then nasty under the pool water (ground water) comes rushing up.

@DoItWithDave

4 жыл бұрын

@@RussellD11 okay so the valve is used obviously to equalize the water table to keep the pool shell from popping up. If you have the pool drained without ground water able to equalize the pressure, the longer the shell remains in that state the higher the probability it might raise. Idk what repairs you're performing but if you remove the plug and let the water table equalize it would definitely eliminate any concerns of the shell raising. And the water will be dirty however it will only raise so high. Depending on where you live the water table will be at various levels. Some parts of Florida are below the table. If you live next to a large body of water I would assume the potential of the shell raising increases. Either way if I was in your position and could still work on the pool with dirty water sitting in it I would. You can always put the plug back in clean, and start filling pool until the clean water level reaches the level that the ground water let in. At that point the clean water should be shallow enough for you the remove the plug, clean any debris in the main drain and attach a new valve without dirty water forcing it's way up.