Pool Leak Detection
Pool Leak Detection
How much water should a pool lose due to evaporation? Many factors contribute to normal water loss – tree coverage, wind, and water features are a few. Normal water loss of ¼” per day is acceptable during hot and windy days. However, an average-sized backyard pool which loses 1” of water per day for a year equates to over 108,000 gallons of water plus chemicals. Not only is that costly, but it could be damaging the pool shell, causing deck movement, and if the pool is next to a house, leading to foundation issues.
We have the equipment and experience to locate and repair almost any pool leak. There are three phases of leak repair – test, locate, repair. Here are some of the ways our highly trained technicians determine if your pool is leaking:
Licensed & Certified - Texas law requires pool companies that work on or install electrical equipment such as pumps, lights, timers, heaters, and electronic controls to be a Residential Appliance Installation Contractor. Each technician who repairs or installs electrical equipment must also be licensed. Our license number is TICL #274.
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Dye testing
Our technicians will dive into the pool as needed and use a special dye to test any cracks and all pool shell penetrations such as lights, return fittings, and main drains.
Pressure testing
Using specialized equipment, our technicians will isolate and pressurize the plumbing lines to determine if the lines will hold pressure. If the lines fail a pressure test, then the line has a break somewhere between the pool and the equipment.
Listen
As the water and air leak from the pipes, while the plumbing is under pressure, our technicians will listen for underground water leaks using specialized leak location tools. This can be a time-consuming process as we have to find how the pool builder ran the plumbing lines, and not all builders follow common practices.
Look
In some cases, we use micro cameras to search inside the pipe to visually find the location of the leak.
Repair
If the leak is was found during dye testing, the repair may take several paths, from sealing a light conduit, to cutting and sealing or stapling cracks, to water stopping around penetrations. Some of these repairs also require draining the pool and patching plaster. In these cases, it is unlikely the patch will match the current pool surface.
Once a leak has been located, accessing the plumbing to repair the leak is the final step. This means digging through grass/dirt, cutting out deck, or removing sections of the floor or wall of the pool. This too can be a time-consuming process as we do not know what lies under the surface – how thick is the deck, is there rock under the dirt, etc.
Once the repair has been implemented, a pressure test will be repeated to ensure no additional leaks exists. Often times, the worst leak is the first one found, once repaired, smaller leaks show up during the test.
RECOMMENDATION: Pools with auto-fill systems which maintain a constant water level can mask or hide water loss. We recommend these systems be turned off for one to two days every quarter to verify no leaks exist.
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