Is my pool leaking, or is it evaporation?
Evaporation is steady and depends on the weather.
Read the answerResources
Pool leak questions, answered
Answers to the questions pool owners ask most often: whether it is really a leak, where pools lose water, how leaks are found and what leak detection costs.
01
Is it a leak?
Most calls start with a water level that will not hold. These checks help you tell a leak from evaporation and show what the pattern of water loss says about where the leak is.
How much water should a pool lose in a day?
Losing a quarter of an inch a day is normal evaporation for most of the year here, and up to half an inch is normal through a hot, windy summer.
Read the answerWhy does my pool lose water only when the pump is running?
Water loss that occurs while the pump is running and stops when it is off points to the pressure side of the plumbing: the return lines from the equipment pad back to the pool, and the fittings where they enter the pool wall.
Read the answerWhy does my pool lose water when the pump is off?
Water loss that continues with the equipment off points to the pool structure, the suction side of the plumbing, or the fittings and penetrations: the skimmer throat, returns, light niche or main drain.
Read the answerWhat does it mean if my water level dropped and then stopped?
It means the leak is at, or just above, the level where the water stopped.
Read the answerHow can I tell if a pool with an autofill is leaking?
An autofill hides the most obvious sign of a leak, a dropping water level, by topping up the pool around the clock.
Read the answerWhat should I look for around the equipment pad?
Look for a wet pad when nothing has been running, drips at unions and pipe fittings, standing water under the pump, a pump that loses prime or needs priming every morning, air in the pump basket, or a filter pressure reading that has changed for no reason.
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Where pools leak
Most pools lose water from the same few places, and where the leak is determines what kind of repair it needs.
Where do most pool leaks happen?
Most leaks happen around the parts that pass through the shell: the skimmer, the return fittings, the light niche and the main drain, as well as the plumbing joints just behind them.
Read the answerWhat are the signs of a skimmer leak?
The most common sign is a water level that drops to the bottom of the skimmer opening and then holds.
Read the answerCan a pool light leak?
Yes, and it is one of the most common leaks in an inground pool.
Read the answerWhat is a hydrostatic relief valve, and can it leak?
It is a spring-loaded valve under the main drain cover.
Read the answerHow do vinyl liner pools leak, and can the leak be found without draining?
Liners leak at seams, at the fittings cut into them for the skimmer, returns, lights and steps, at pinholes worn by an abrasive floor or a sharp object, and at the bead where the liner hangs from the track.
Read the answerDo concrete and gunite pools leak through the shell?
Sometimes they do, at cracks, cold joints and around penetrations, but far less often than through the plumbing and fittings.
Read the answerCan a leak be under the concrete deck?
Yes.
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Finding the leak
What a detection visit involves, what you can try yourself first and what to avoid.
How does professional pool leak detection work?
We use three methods, in order.
Read the answerWhat is a dye test, and can I do one myself?
Dye is heavier than water.
Read the answerShould I drain the pool to find or fix a leak?
No, especially on the coast.
Read the answerWhat do I need to do before a detection visit?
Keep the pool filled to its normal level with the equipment in working order, and note what you have observed: how fast the level drops, whether that changes when the pump runs and where the ground is wet.
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Cost, repair and weather
What an unrepaired leak can cost, what leak detection costs and how coastal weather affects pools.
What does a pool leak cost if I ignore it?
First, there is the water: an inch a day from an average residential pool is several hundred gallons every day, and your water bill rises with it.
Read the answerWhat does pool leak detection cost?
Leak detection starts at $375.
Read the answerDoes homeowners insurance cover a pool leak?
Usually not for the leak itself.
Read the answerCan a hurricane or a heavy storm cause a pool leak?
Yes.
Read the answerDoes a Florida pool lose more water in summer?
Yes, and summer is when leaks are hardest to spot.
Read the answerDo saltwater pools leak differently?
They leak in the same places, but salt water is harder on metal.
Read the answerCould my spa be draining into the pool?
On a shared pool and spa system, the spa sits higher, and a check valve keeps it from draining into the pool when the pump stops.
Read the answerStill not sure it’s a leak?
Describe what your pool is doing, and we will tell you what it may be and what a visit would involve. If the water level is dropping fast, call us right away.