Midwestern Midcentury

Dead Pool

It's that time of year again when thoughts (and noses) turn toward a shallow hexagon-shaped pond of fetid water once known as our swimming pool.  Last summer seems very far away, and the proof is in this green pudding.

Twelve gallons of chlorine later I was finally getting results.  I suspect the warmer than usual winter gave the algae a generous head start.  Remember...NO DIVING!

Pool Leak Repair Revisited - The Proof is in the Putty

I have noticed that my article regarding our pool leak has been drawing a lot of hits this spring.  That makes me sort of gloomy, since it likely means that pools are sprouting leaks all across the Midwest!  Have a seat on your clicking water meter and check out the message from a reader below:

I found your blog while Googling a fix for a leaking swimming pool.  Our pool starting losing water after the ice thawed this spring and settled at a level pretty much identical to what yours did.  We also have the same style light as you do.  The pool company put a rubber plug where you turn a wingnut and the plug expands and plugs the hole.  After filling it to above that level we are still losing water.  Is the epoxy you used working since you brought the water up to the normal level for the pool?  What type/brand epoxy, any other tips you could give me?
Thanks,  Craig

Hi Craig.  Although I posted the story in April 2009, the repair took place in spring 2008, and yes, the $5.00 putty is still holding.  However, that doesn't constitute a recommendation since, as I noted in my previous post, every other internet article cautions against repairing your own pool leaks (a conspiracy by pool repairmen?).

I used regular plumbers putty purchased at Lowes.  I broke off about half the stick and kneeded the two different colored putties together.  Once mixed, you have 5-10 minutes to shape it to the form you want.  Then it turns, and stays, hard as a rock.

That said, your pool light may not be the culprit.  My food coloring test confirmed that my light was leaking.  You may want to try that step before using the putty.  Again, according to pool experts everywhere, you should not attempt to repair your own pool leak!

Results of my foolish experiment can be seen below. : )

Fixing a Pool Leak in 451 Easy Steps

Well, maybe it didn't really take 451 steps, but when you don't know what you're doing it sure seems like it!  Maybe my successful experience will convince someone out there that it can be done...for a tiny fraction of the cost of calling in the pros.

I am not a professional pool man, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

The image above shows the MidWestern MidCentury pool in December 2007.  I noticed the level was dropping precipitously and the large turtle-shaped ice berg on the surface went down with it.  The result?  A stretched pool cover and a big water bill.  I had to add water from time to time throughout the winter to make sure it didn't get too low.

I had nightmares about the main drain freezing!

With the cover off in the spring I astutely observed that the leaking stops or slows as the level reaches the pool light.  Hmmmm.  A light bulb went on in my tiny brain.  An underwater one with a big lens.  A cursory internet search confirmed that the pool light housing is one of the usual suspects in a pool leak case.  Eureka!

But, how to confirm the leak without an advanced degree in poolology.  Sources on the internet painted a grave picture of complexity, and pundits concluded that no ordinary person could ever hope to successfully diagnose their own pool leak.  That was just the encouragement I needed.

I headed to the kitchen...

..for blue food coloring.  Call me whacky, but what else?  I blooped a few drops in and those little blue swimmers made a beeline for the light and disappeared.  I found the leak!  Now what?  Back to the internet for more bad news.  An attempt to repair your own pool leak might tilt the earth on its axis.  Call the professionals, they said.  "Don't be stupid," they warned.

I headed to the hardware store.

I flipped the breaker for the pool light OFF, and then lowered the pool level to just below the light housing.  I removed the light.  Remember, pool lights are cooled by the water that surrounds them.  Never turn a pool light on when it's out of the water.  It may launch into orbit.

Back to the leak.  According to another internet source, the most likely culprit is the area where the wire exits the light housing.  That sounded good to me.  I whipped out the epoxy putty I purchased at the hardware store, broke about half of it off, and kneaded the light center into dark outside.  It looked like a gray candy bar.

Like that one in Caddyshack.

When the putty was thorougly mixed and began to warm, I formed it around the opening in the back of the housing, and let it harden overnight.  Then I added water until the housing was immersed...and waited...and watched  Could this really work?

See for yourself!

Time spent: a few hours.

Cost: $5.00 (not including the water!)

Knowing I outfoxed a crafty leak that only a professional pool man was supposed to be able to find and fix: priceless.

 

Pool Secrets Revealed! Not.

Opening the pool last year was also an eye-opener.  Yuck.  The water was so murky that it was hard to see what I was vacuuming up.

We are first-time pool maintainers, so we removed the cover and then called the QCA Spas guys to "open" the pool.  The cleaning was still up to us.  As was the chemical end of the job.  Would it be clean and clear for a Mother's Day family gathering?  Stay tuned.

What's up with the octagons?  When we moved in there was an octagon-shaped rug in the upstairs bathroom.  Is this some kind of mid-century motif?  I think the pool was installed in the 70s.

Hot Tub Deep Freeze

One of the first orders of business at our new Mid-Century Modern home?  Filling and firing up the hot tub in the greenhouse.

Not so fast!   No sooner did the water start going in that I noticed it was running out the bottom in to the floor drain!  What do I know about spas?  Maybe I forgot to turn off a drain valve or something.

Finally I decided the internal plumbing must be at fault and I called the folks at QCA Spas.  They flipped the tub over, discovered a cracked manifold (pic below), and repaired it in about 30 minutes.  Apparently, the internal plumbing wasn't emptied of water when the tub was closed for the season.  This is normally done with a wet vac.

Kudos to the previous owner for paying for the under $200 repair.  While the house came with no written guarantee, he had assured us the pool and spa were both in good working order.  It's very cool that he stood behind his word!