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Pool leaks can be very frustrating for property managers and home owners. A pool leak can result in serious damage to surrounding buildings. Excessive water resulting from a pool leak can disturb the soil below the pool deck and can cause the pool deck to collapse. Successful leak detection and repair consists of information gathering and progressive leak detection. Progressive leak detection is a step by step process, in which parts of the filter system plumbing and pool interior are tested in order to find the leak. Based on our experience, we recommend hiring a contractor who has the right expertise and resources to find and fix a leak. AquaSafe is a professional in pool leak detection and offers various types of leak repairs.
How many inches of water is the pool loosing over a 24 hour period?
Is it a vinyl liner pool or a plaster mercalite pool?
Are there any visible cracks in the pool? Are there any wet spots around the pool deck or around the pool area, such as constantly wet parking lots or wet spots in the grass?
Has there been any recent construction activity?
Does the pool have any in-floor cleaners, waterfalls, or fountains?
Is the loss of water due to evaporation or a leak?
The pump on/ pump off test is performed to give a hint of which part of the plumbing has a leak and whether the leak is located on the filter piping or in the structure of the pool. To perform this test, follow these instructions:
Measure the amount of water loss when the pool pump is on.
Turn the pump off over night.
Compare the amount of water loss when the pump is off to the amount of water loss when the pump is on.
If there is a greater amount of water loss with the pump on than with the pump off, then the leak is most likely located on the pressure side of plumbing, more specifically, in the pool return line.
If there is a lesser amount of water loss with the pump on than with the pump off, then the leak is most likely located on the suction side of plumbing, more specifically, in the skimmer and main drain.
If there is an equal amount of water loss with the pump on and with the pump off, then the leak is most likely a structural leak, located in the hydrostatic valve, pool light niches, pool fitting, or cracks in the pool.
Pressure testing is a very time and labor-consuming test. Pressure test usually requires to cut some part of filter plumbing to be able to install the pressure testing plugs or to bypass filters and motors that could affect testing results.
The price for a regular pressure test can be anywhere between $350 and $1,800 depending on the size of the pool. AquaSafe charges a flat fee for complete service regardless of the amount of time spent on the pressure testing. This enables the customer to budget accordingly and ensures that the customer is not surprised by any additional charges.
If the pressure test confirms that the leak is located in the underground plumbing, our service technicians will pin point the exact location of the leak with our high resolution underground sonic leak detection equipment.
AquaSafe charges sonic leak detection at an hourly rate. Most leaks are located within 4 hours.
We usually ask the customer to provide us with the pool layout blue prints that speeds up the process of the leak location. If the blue prints are not available we will locate underground pipes with our helium detector.
AquaSafe has professional experience in all kinds of leak repairs. A leak located in the underground plumbing is usually the worst scenario for the pool owner and will require excavation of the pool deck or pool shell around the leak and replacement of part of the underground plumbing.
The price range for these kinds of repairs can be anywhere between $1,500 and $3,500.
Leaks caused by structural cracks in the pool shell do not require excavation. We offer various types of structural crack repairs depending on the pool owner's budget. We also are able to fix the structural leaks temporarily without draining the whole pool to get the client through the summer and to fix the pool leak after the pool is closed.
Structural leaks caused by a faulty hydrostat valve, an unsealed conduit in pool light niche, or an unsealed skimmer throat are usually fixed by sealing the leak with a two part epoxy. These kind of repairs are usually not expensive and can be performed under water. It is very important that the service technician who performs this kind of repair uses a quality product to avoid any future problems.
It is very important to monitor the water level after each repair and to find out if there are any additional leaks. Leak detection on commercial swimming pools can get very expensive and we recommend choosing a professional company with experience in leak detection and repair that will find the leak and fix it. AquaSafe guarantees all of our work and repairs
Check out our gallery from previous pool leak detection and pool leak repair jobs:
150,000 Gallons Commercial Pool in Washington DC
This large 150,000 gallon swimming pool located in Washington, D.C was losing about 12 inches of water every day and was scheduled to open in 2 weeks after AquaSafe received the call from the pool owner.
The service technicians at AquaSafe performed a complete leak detection procedure starting with pressure testing. The pressure test confirmed a large leak on the main drain line.
The pump room was about 150 feet from the pool. Unfortunately, the blue prints that we received from the property did not show the exact layout of the main drain pipe. We used our sonic leak detection device and followed the most common path of the main drains. Within 3 hours we found a leak located about 8 feet deep into the pool. Our experienced service technicians pin-pointed a leak within 6 inches from the leak location.
Since the pool opening was approaching quickly, our digging crew was on-site and began digging the same afternoon. We excavated an opening about 3 x 5 feet large. The following day, we replaced the pipe, poured the concrete, and plastered over the repair. The pool opened on time with no further issues.
Multiple leak detection and repair in Spa/Jacuzzi, Rockville, MD
AquaSafe was contracted to perform leak detection and a repair at the spa/Jacuzzi at the commercial swimming pool in Rockville, MD. The users of the spa were not able to use the spa jets since the jet line built in the 2 foot wide wall of the spa was damaged due to winter freeze brake. When the jets were turned on, the wall of the spa was constantly wet and a small puddle of water formed next to the spa and was posing a slip hazard.
This job was challenging since the jet's pipe in the wall runs all around and made it almost impossible to use our sonic leak detection device due to the echo coming from the walls.
The location of wet spots indicated a multiple leaks on the line. One option was to re-pipe the entire spa but due to the customer's budget concerns we tried to pin point the exact location of the leak. We by-passed separate parts of the plumbing to locate the leak. At the end we replaced about 3 feet of piping and 2 jets. The spa stopped leaking and the pool users can now use the spa jets.
Structural crack located in the pool shell, low pressure epoxy injection and reinforcing fiber glass staple installation, Washington DC
The structural cracks are usually visible cracks located on the pool floor or on the wall. Structural cracks are usually a little wider than common hair line cracks in the plaster. AquaSafe was contracted by a condominium association to perform a dye test and to repair the visible 6 foot long crack in the pool. The pool had a history of losing water and visible wet spots in the garage underneath the pool. The crack was about 6 feet long and about 1/16 of an inch wide. As we removed the plaster around the crack, we discovered that the size of the crack was actually 1 inch wide and about 10 feet long. We installed re-enforcing fiber glass staples every 8 inches along the crack and we injected polyurethane foam under low pressure into the gap. The next day we plastered over the repair. The pool stopped leaking and the wet spots in the garage disappeared.