Leaking Above Ground Pool Liner

by Scott Cumbie
(Kathleen, Ga. USA)

I just installed a 27 foot AGP. I began filling it yesterday. This morning I notice a small puddle of water around the bottom of the frame in one section.

So I'm guessing that my new liner must have a leak somewhere. What is the best way to tell where the leak is? There is nothing that is noticeable by looking into the pool.

Thanks, Scott




Hi Scott. About the only time I ever suspect a bad seam is when the pool is initially filled. Once the pool is full a leak is seldom caused by a bad seam.

In your situation I would get in the pool and examine the seams very carefully. Having a wet spot around the outside of the pool pretty well isolates the location of the hole for you. Once you have checked the seam check above and below it. When a pool leaks water to the outside the hole is usually in the cove area. A hole is going to look like a dark piece of dirt. I rub my hands over an area and anything that does not move gets further investigation.

Holes that are farther into the pool are usually identified by the mushy sand in that area. They may also have sand around the hole, on the liner bottom.

I normally look for leaks with my goggles on, underwater. I would seldom drain a pool just to find a leak, unless I could just not find it. Pin holes in the bottom of the pool can be almost impossible to find so I drain the pool and crawl under the liner. Any hole in a vinyl liner can be seen from the underside of the liner. It can be unbearably hot under a liner but it is the best way to find holes when nothing else works.

This page might help with your leaky liner problem.

Holes in Vinyl Pool