Old pool losing water

[toc350]

I have an old pool that loses about an inch per night. We had it caulked this year and that stopped the leakage for most of the summer but toward the end it started to lose water again. The pool has a concrete(Gunnite) bottom but fiberglass sides. It is 20' by 40' so an inch a night is alot of water. I am thinking of filling it in if I cannot find out what is wrong. I know that the plumbing is good but the skimmers do not work so we plugged them last year. That means I have to clean it weekly. Any suggestions? My pool guy says that we could start digging to find leaks in the filter line but it may not be the issue. I live in a suburb of Chicago so three months of pool time is not much for this pool. If I want to get rid of it, what are my options?

[Richard J Kinch]

Time to fill it in. The drain on your wallet and time will be continuous and perpetual otherwise. Your true cost per swim must be in the $100s.

[.......]

Just let the water drain, then get some dynamite and blow it up, or hire a guy with a dozer and destroy it. After that, buy a new pool. No big deal. A few bucks and you will have a brand new leak proof pool.

[Andy]

Andy writes: Why not just let it drain ? When it stops going down, you have just passed the leak....

At that point you can make up your mind whether you have a small hole to plug or major maintenance.......

A swimming pool is a hole in the ground that you must throw money and labor into on a weekly basis..... However, it may be cheap to fix and add value to your property........ Andy in Eureka, Texas

[Willshak]

Break up the gunnite bottom with a sledgehammer. Fill the pool with fill dirt to about 6 - 8 inches from the top. Fill the rest with screened topsoil. You'll have a nice flat area for a garden or lawn games, surrounded by a walkway.

[HeyBub]

Why?

[Willshak]

Drainage, so you don't have a swamp in the pool.

[barry]

must admit, I agree with...

I'm British, and you'd need to be mad to have an outdoor pool here, but i'm still jealous.

[Bob F]

If the caulk stopped the leak, that should be a big clue. The leak is somewhere they caulked. Letting it leak till it stops is not a bad idea to locate the leak.

Bob

[noemailaddress]

Right. So just ask the guys where they stuck their caulk and see if they stuck their caulks in any holes.