How to Find a Hole in a Above Ground Pool Liner

How to find a hole in a above ground pool liner? After all of the time and effort you just spent setting up your above the ground pool, along with having to wait for what seems like an eternity for the pool to fill with water, the worst thing to find out is that there is a hole in the pool liner.

It would make the job of repairing the hole easier if the hole was actually big enough to see. However, they rarely are but they sure do somehow, drain a huge amount of water from the pool.

Below I’ll share a few easy things that you can do to learn how to find a hole in a above ground pool liner as well as some things that you can do to prevent holes in the future.

Myths about how to find a hole in a above ground pool liner exist and are passed along by many people. I’ll explain the correct method in a second but just the other day I overheard a friend telling another person to buy 5 or 6 bottles of food coloring and to pour it into her pool to find the leak.

Do not do this. You are right; the water will just turn what ever color it was that she poured in.

Unless the hole is quite big, the flailing around from you trying to remain underwater will be the only thing that moves the cloud of food coloring in the water if you do not know where the hole is in the liner.

Some people setup their pool on a cement slab, some setup on a bed of sand however; the majority of people just use a tarp to cover a level area on the lawn where they intend to set the pool up.

Floor Leaks, for pools on a cement slab can be found by first locating the leak on the outside of the pool. Look for puddles or a stream of water coming from beneath the pool.

The object is to narrow down the location of the hole instead of having to search the entire pool. Once you have narrowed down the area, get into the water and walk over to the location.

Put on some goggles and go underwater within the area. Look for raised areas on the liner–bubbles–or wrinkles that only go halfway across the pool liner. Upon locating these types of problems, the use of food coloring within these specific areas makes more sense.

If you have your above ground pool on a bed of sand and it has a hole in the floor the area that has a hole will look like a pothole that you would see on the street but of course on a smaller scale.

This is caused from the water leaking and washing away the sand in the area of the hole. As the leak continues, the pothole will get larger. A good way to spot a pothole before someone twist their ankle is to look for areas underwater where the pool liner looks like it is sunk down into a hole.

Use the coloring again once, you have pinpointed specific areas to find the hole.

Above ground pools that are setup on the lawn do not have noticeable potholes like those setup on sand. From within the pool areas that have holes in the floor of the liner will feel mushy or soggy beneath your foot.

Similar to stepping in soggy grass after it has rained for a while. Areas where there are holes often require constant cleaning because some of the juices from the rotting grass beneath the pool make their way in and cause black or green algae to grow on the liner where the hole is located.

One of the most noticeable signs of a leak in an above ground pool that has been setup on the lawn is uneven grass growth. If you happen to notice that the lawn in any area around the pool grows quicker or looks healthier than the rest of the lawn around the pool, this is a sign of a leak.

From inside the pool, check the area while underwater using the coloring or look for algae growth in the area.

Make the repair to the hole using the kit and directions that came with your pool but with this suggestion. Many people even pool suppliers suggest that you put a weight on the patch to hold it in place after you make a repair to the floor liner.

This is a good idea however do not just place a brick into the water. Instead, put the brick into a big, sealable sandwich bag before you put it into the pool. Bricks break easily and often have pieces of material sticking out of them.

Check the brick before you use it and put it into the bag to stop any pieces of it from breaking off and causing another hole in the pool liner. If you do not have a brick, you can use a paperweight, a smooth flat stone or any sized sledgehammer to hold the patch in place.

Finding a leak in the wall of the pool liner is the easiest of all. Check the liner around the outside of the pool. If you do not see a stream of water, look for areas that have sweat bubbles, similar to the sweat bubbles that you see on a cold glass of water.

To make your above ground pool liner last longer, keep all pointed objects out of the pool. Animals with sharp nails should not be allowed in the pool.

If you would like to cut down the amount of debris on the pool bottom, place a dish bucket or pale of water near the ladder or main entrance to the pool.

Have everyone entering the pool dip their feet in the water before they get into the pool water. This will remove small rocks and grass clippings but be sure too change out the water in the container often. Feel free to share with article on how to find a hole in a above ground pool liner with a friend who has a pool.