Hello
I have an above ground pool 15 x 48 round. I have a leak and only have about 18 inches of water left. Its been a slow leak and I have patched a couple places where I thought it was leaking, but it still seems to be going down. Now the weather is getting chilly and too cold to get in water and find leak. I have always kept water in it over the winter but with leak I don't want to keep wasting water. I'm tempted to pump the rest of water out with my sun-pump and just cover it for the winter. Will this hurt the pool liner or the wall structure? I will need to some how keep snow and debris off the cover? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
thanks
Bill P.

I would wait until the water stops dropping and then you will know the approximate level of the leak. Add a little bit of water and ask your local pool company for some leak testing dye, or you can use food coloring or some such thing. There are a number of good products online. You likely have a leak in the liner, and you could find it this way, if you have the patience. If your pool drains all the way out, then you likely have a leak on a line on the bottom of the pool, if you have a main drain line there. You can also wait for the water to stop draining, and then mark the level, then repair the leak next year. I would not add more water until it is repaired, as you can erode the fill around the base of the pool. If you are unable to find it, you can always call a leak detection company to help find it. They don't mind getting in the cold water if they need to.