Just bought house and pool has a leak - any recourse?

[Kuurgen]

Long story short, we just bought a house and the in ground pool needs to be topped off on a daily basis. We've not topped it off for 2 days and the water is below the skimmer.

My wife had a pool guy do a cursory inspection before closing, and the owner at the time became belligerent and started swearing etc. We couldn't really understand why until now, when it's obvious the water loss is from a leak and not evaporation.

Do we have any recourse as we've been in the house less than one month.

We've determined that the water loss is most like in the pipes to the skimmer or in the skimmer itself.

Thanks in advance.

[hitman_24]

Was the pool being in full working order a clause in the buyers agreement?
What did the pool guys inspection advise?

[craigdcan]

That's a whole lot of water loss. I'd get that repaired asap before it does some serious damage, if it hasn't already (erosion can be a HUGE disaster waiting to happen). There are some resources online to determine which area the leak is (pump on leak, versus pump off leak, etc). As far as recourse, you may have a hard time, unless you can prove that it was damaged from winter and lack of proper winterizing and also that the previous owner knew about it. This may be tough. Certainly worth a shot, and I know I'd try as hard as I could, but...

Did you try to contact the previous owner to see what he says?

Either way, call a pool professional ASAP and worry about the recourse once repaired or it could cost you a ton of cash.

[craigdcan]

http://www.poolcenter.com/leaks.htm

[iambored]

Yeah, call a pro but it could also be something very simple. If it is below the skimmer, are you running the pump? If so, try not to run the pump and see if the water goes down. If not, the leak is at the pump. The pump has a bunch of connections there and if the equipment is older, may just need some connections to be tightened. If the leak is in the lining or pipes under ground, then it would be harder to fix.

[woof]

Do we have any recourse as we've been in the house less than one month.

You'll have to find out what's causing the leak and either get a quote or get it fixed. Then if the cost makes it worthwhile talk to your lawyer and see if you have any recourse against the previous owners for non-disclosure. Might be very tough.

[JAC]

You'll have to fix it, whether the previous owner can be forced to pay for it or not.

I'd suggest asking your lawyer. If he says you can sue, I'd call in a pool company who will be willing to sign an affidavit that, based on the condition of the equipment, the leak was a pre-existing condition. (Assuming it was a pre-existing condition, of course.) Then have them fix it, and sue for the cost of the repair.

[Drthorne]

Another area to check is the filter multiport valve to waste line ( if you have one.) Some filters have a spider gasket that wears out allowing some water to bypass it internally.

[coolspot]

My wife had a pool guy do a cursory inspection before closing, and the owner at the time became belligerent and started swearing etc. We couldn't really understand why until now, when it's obvious the water loss is from a leak and not evaporation.

Better get it fixed, before you flood the neighbours!

Unfortunately you'll need to drain the pool and get the leak plugged ... it can be pricy. You might want to take this opportunity to resurface the pool if it's in bad condition and do any other repairs (water to refill the pool is not cheap - might need to bring in tankers).

As for the inspection - did you not get suspicious when the owner started yelling at you? Who yells at you during an inspection - that would have raised red flags for me!

At this point, pretty sure the money has been transferred to the buyer... your only recourse would be to contact your lawyer and have them send a letter to the other party but chances are you'll have to goto court to recuperate any substantial money.

[Kuurgen]

As for the inspection - did you not get suspicious when the owner started yelling at you? Who yells at you during an inspection - that would have raised red flags for me!

We suspected it was because the pump was older and almost at it's end of life.
(and alternately the owner has a reputation in the neighbourhood as being....odd.)
T
hanks for your replies everyone, as luck would have it, my wife works with somebody who's beau fixes pools etc. He was able to come out this morning and diagnosed it as the line between the drain at the bottom of the pool and the skimmer. problem was resolved by him putting a plug to that line in the skimmer. From what was explained to me, the drain at the bottom in the pool in our case was just a backup to keep water flow to the skimmer should the skimmer ever run dry to avoid air in the lines.

So lesson learned. If I ever buy a house again with a pool I will bite the bullet and pay for the comprehensive inspection at @$400 instead of the cursory inspection for $150