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THE AMAZING DISAPPEARING WATER ACT - Winter Water Dispalacement
THE AMAZING DISAPPEARING WATER ACT - Winter Water Dispalacement
By Anne Baye Ericksen
Every spring, in ground vinyl-liner pool owners pull off their winter covers --- and panic. The water level they saw when they sealed up the vessel for the winter has dropped significantly. The pool must have a leak, they assume. Nervous calls are then placed to the professionals who sold or winterized the pools. “How did this happen? What should we do? Will this be a costly repair?”The answer may come as a surprise, but the cause of the disappearing act may be as ordinary a phenomenon as an ice cube dropped in a cup of water. Add enough ice, and the water spills over. It’s called displacement.A LOGICAL EXPLANATION
Water displacement in vinyl-liner pools is quite common, says Donna Froschhauser, co-owner of Sahara Pools in Whitehouse Station, NJ. “Over the winter months, the weight of the snow and ice push down on the cover, which can cause the cover to displace some of the pool water.”The displaced water spills out harmlessly onto the deck, unbeknownst to the pool owners. When the cover is removed, less water will be found remaining in the pool. Despite its simplicity, the concept can be difficult for people to grasp right away. So Froschhauser says she tries the glass of water metaphor – put enough ice in a cup of water and it will spill over --- and that usually does the trick.She also reassures them that there are simple ways to prevent substantial water displacement from happening again. “I recommend that owners periodically remove ice from the cover throughout the winter,” she says, noting that this, essentially, removes the weight that causes the cover to dip and displace the pool water. “They also can sweep off the snow with a broom,” she adds.But if, when a pool’s cover is removed, the water appears to have been displaced, Froschhauser offers the following advice:1. Refill the pool to the desired water line.2. Wait 36 hours.3. If the water again has dropped, then perhaps there is a leak. If the Water has maintained its level, the pool has suffered from nothing more than a little winter water displacement.