Pool Leak Detection

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Dallas swimming pool leak detection is a big industry. Why is that? Well, according to bizjournals.com, back in 2015 Dallas had 220,000 swimming pools. And surely that number has climbed drastically since then. But most importantly, in much of texas, including Dallas and Fort Worth, we have something called expandable soils.

“The Dallas area is in the Blackland Prairie, with soils comprised of three primary types (Austin chalk, Ozan Marl and Eagle Ford), often referred to as “cracking clays” due to the large deep cracks caused by dry weather. The unique blend of soil, with a higher clay content, is susceptible to significant expansion that can lead to foundation issues.”

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This can be bad for any structure and is specifically bad for swimming pools. For these reasons, if you are a pool owner in Dallas, you will likely need a Dallas Swimming Pool Leak Detection at least once during the life of your pool.

How to Detect a Pool Leak

Finding a great Dallas based swimming pool leak detection company is usually going to be the best result. But there are a few things you can do before you call a leak detection company. If you suspect a leak in your pool, do these things first.

1. Turn off your autofill and see how much water your pool is losing
2. Do a bucket test
3. While the equipment is running, check the backwash drain for a leak
4. Check for bubbles coming out of your pool return jets
5. Look for running water behind waterfalls
6. Check if the leak stops with the water feature off or on

For a more detailed list of what to look for, check out our blog post Four Signs To Look For If Your Pool Is Leaking

Once you’ve done that and confirmed that your pool is indeed losing water, call a professional to pinpoint where the leak is.

Leak Detection for Swimming Pool

A full leak detection for a swimming pool consists of two things. A dye test and an underground pipe pressure test. They are both very different but serve two very important purposes. One checks for structural leaks, and one checks for plumbing leaks.

Pool Pressure Test

The concept is quite simple. A Dallas swimming pool leak detection specialist will plug up all of the pipes that run from the pool or spa to your equipment. Then with a special plug and an air compressor, they will slowly add low pressure to the pipes. If the pressure holds, then the pipes aren’t the problem.

However, if the pipes don’t hold pressure then we will use a sonar device to hear underground for the source of the leak.

Because of the nature of how water flows, it is impossible to pinpoint the underground pipe leak exactly. But this test is accurate enough that in most cases it can be pinpointed to within a few feet radius of where the break is.

Pool Dye Test

This test is meant mainly for structural leaks. By that, I mean cracks in the pool. You can imagine how this test works.

Using a syringe filled with pool dye, the technician will go to suspicious cracks or places that are most likely to leak in a pool and inject the dye.

If the dye is sucked into the crack, then there is a leak. Simple!

Be careful doing this test yourself as it takes a gentle touch and an experienced eye to find where a crack may be leaking. Sometimes the dye needs to be injected just right or you may miss the leak.

Inground Pool Leak

These techniques are used mainly for inground pools. When an inground pool leaks, often you will not see any evidence of the leak.

That leaky water will seep into the ground and flow wherever it wants. We often get calls from people who have water in their alley, or they have a wet spot in their yard. It is scary and easy to assume that the source of water is from your pool.

But if your swimming pool is not losing water, you don’t have a pool leak. It’s as simple as that.

How Can I Tell Where My Pool Is Leaking

How to tell where your pool is leaking is best left up to the professionals. However, there are a few things you can do to isolate out different parts of your pool.

For instance. If your pool only leaks when you are running your waterfalls, then you can tell your pool is leaking from your waterfalls. Check out our article by clicking here on how to check your waterfalls for a leak.

If you put your pool in Spa Mode, and your spa loses water but your pool doesn’t, your leak is probably in your spa.

If you turn off your equipment and let the pool drop naturally and they stop right at the bottom of your skimmers, that often means the leak is in your skimmers or skimmer lines.

Repairing Swimming Pool Leaks

First and foremost, do not just start digging around your yard looking for the leak. You might think this is obvious, but we get calls all the time from people who have dug multiple holes in their yard trying to repair their pool leak.

They are playing “chase the wet spot.” This is a bad idea. Water runs throughout your entire yard and that leak can be coming from anywhere. Have a Dallas Swimming Pool Leak Detection Company come and find your leak first. They can at the very least advise you on how or if you should repair a pool leak yourself.

How to Repair a Leaking Pool

Different companies offer different services, but most Swimming pool leak detection companies in Dallas and elsewhere offer at least some type of pool line repair, epoxy repair, and skimmer repair.

Pool Line Repair

This is a very common repair. After a leak is pinpointed underground, the technician will plug all of the lines that flow to that break.

If the break is in the dirt, they will dig down to where they heard the break. If it’s under decking, they may have to jackhammer through the concrete to get to where the break was heard.

The lower down they go, they may have to adjust where they dig as the source becomes more clear the closure you get to it.

Once they’ve gotten to the broken pipe, with some type of saw, they cut out the break and re-plumb brand new PVC pipe into the lines. They should re-test the lines to see if their repair was solid. Retesting the lines will also tell them if there is another break in the same lines.

Skimmer Replacement

If an entire skimmer needs to be replaced, a technician will need to jackhammer the entire thing out.

When skimmers are installed into a pool, they are laid into concrete which makes this repair very time-consuming and labor-intensive. It is often the most expensive single repair a Dallas swimming pool leak detection company will provide.

A technician will completely clear out the area, cut out the skimmer, and re-plumb it back into the pool lines. Once it’s set, they’ll seal it up and encase it in concrete again. They will then try their hardest to match the concrete as closely as possible to the decking. It usually takes two days for this repair to finish.

Epoxy Repair

When there is a simple crack, an application of AB underwater epoxy is often the easiest and cheapest repair.

These leaks are very often found in skimmer buckets and skimmer throats as well as just fittings, spa spillways, and tile lines.

This is the easiest and cheapest solution, however, it is not permanent. The epoxy repair may last five years. Yet it may only list five weeks. And sometimes if the water is very cold, it may not even last five minutes.

Swimming Pool Leak Repair Near Me

It’s always good to have an idea of which swimming pool leak repair and detection companies are near you. Google, Yelp, Angie’s List, and other typical sites are awesome places to start.

Just like with most service companies. Check the reviews! We have gotten many calls from people who have had multiple leak detection companies come out and they couldn’t find their leak. Go with quality first. It pays off in the long run

And look for companies that have a good warranty policy. At True Blue Leak Detection, if we can’t find your leak, you don’t pay for it! Things like that are a great sign that a company is confident, and you have no risk.

Pool Repair Dallas

Like I said before. Dallas Pool Leak Detection is big business because of the shifting soil. So knowing a little more about your pool can go a long way for your peace of mind and pocketbook. I hope this article was helpful.

If you feel ready to call for an expert, go to our online appointment link here or call us at 214-326-2634.