New home owners in SW Ohio. We have an inground swimming pool which was already closed for the winter when we moved into the house this fall. During the past month, we have observed the cover seeming to slide lower and lower into the pool. When we came back from a weeks vacation during Thanksgiving, we saw the cover seemed considerably lower.
Looking into the pool, the water level was near the bottom step at the shallow end. Someone suggested to me that the weight of the water and leaves on the cover was forcing the water in the pool up and out (somehow? - I don't understand the physics here, the water level is way below the skimmer - where does it go?). So I pumped all the water off of the cover, filled the water in the pool to 8" below the skimmer and cleaned off the leaves. This morning I checked and the water in the pool had dropped about 1/4 - 1/2" since last night.
I am at a loss and need some help! Do I have a leak? Should I just keep filling the pool this winter and deal with it in the spring? I expect that I should not let the level go down unchecked, it seems like this is hard on the cover and could damage the pool walls in the spring when the rains come.
Here is what I know about the pool: The bottom is cement, the walls are fiberglass. The pool was installed at least 20 years ago. The cover is new this season. The previous owner is unaware of any leaks.
TIA for any advice.
BRAD