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Allotment Articles1.
Allotment Articles 2.
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The Leaky Pond
All pools no matter what they are made of can spring a leak due to carelessness, accident, or bad planning. Concrete pools can be troublesome when they leak. If they are coated with a sealant it may need re-coating every few years as it can peel off. If the pool is cracked it may be possible to repair it with a special repair compound, but often the only recourse is to put in a liner after padding the crack with a soft material such as old carpet or curtains.
Even fiberglass pools can crack, but they are very easy to repair with a fiberglass repair kit such as is used for cars. If it is done properly the pool will be as strong and watertight as it was when new. Rigid plastic pools can also be repaired with fiberglass as it will bond to the roughened plastic around the hole.
Whenever sealing any damage to a pool the area must be clean and dry. This is especially important if a liner is to be repaired successfully. Small patches can be bought for liners and for bigger tears special tubes of adhesive can be used to stick on large patches cut from any off cuts you had when installing the liner. Pre-formed semi rigid, plastic pools are best repaired with an adhesive patch as well.
All good aquatic retailers will have a range of repair kits for fixing leaking pools, but if the damage is severe then it may be a case of starting again and installing a new pool.
Very often the pool isn’t leaking at all and a badly aligned waterfall can explain water loss.
Great care must be taken to line up the waterfall correctly so that all the drips land in the pool as even a slow drip will eventually empty a pool if the pump is left running constantly. A simple trick to cure the problem is to make a tiny V shaped cut either side of the waterfalls edge so that drips can’t run past the notches. Great care must be taken not to ruin the waterfall however when doing this.
Another source of water loss is evaporation and in the summer this can be 2, or 3 inches a week. Often the blame for water loss lies with a fountain turned up to high so that spray is blown out of the pool. On a windy day your pool can be emptied in a few hours.
So if you are losing water from your pool don’t always assume that you have a leak and don’t be to quick to go out and buy a new one, as it may be repairable anyway even if you have.
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