Is your pool only losing water when the pump is running? Ever wonder how to check my pool backwash for a leak? WAIT! Don’t call a leak detection specialist just yet.

Often when your pool only loses water when the system is running, you may have a leaking backwash valve.

Determining whether your backwash valve is leaking is simple and can save you hundreds of dollars by doing it yourself. Did I mention it’s simple?

Check out our video on diagnosing your backwash, or scroll down further for our step-by-step instructions on locating a backwash valve leak. If you’re unsure about how your backwash works or what a backwash does, here’s a great source for understanding a backwash system: https://www.swimuniversity.com/backwash-pool-filter/

Here’s how to check my pool backwash for a leak

How to check my pool backwash for a leak

Total Time: 5 minutes

Turn on your system and go to your equipment to see if you have a multi-port

Turn on your system and go to your equipment to see if you have a multi-port. This is a specific type of valve that has a sight glass.Multiport pool Backwash leak

Check the sight glass for water.

Check the sight glass for water. If you see any water moving in here during normal function, you have a leak in your backwash.Sight glass on a pool multiport

If there is no water, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have a leak in your backwash, but this is the first place we check. 

If there is no water, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have a leak in your backwash, but this is the first place we check. So if you see water, you have a leak. If you don’t see water, go to the next step.

Go to the front of the house to find your backwash pipeline.

Go to the front of the house to find your backwash pipeline. It is almost always in the front of the house in the flowerbeds next to your clean-outs for your sewer. Finding the backwash can take some investigation. 

You’re looking for a line that usually comes up from the ground. It’ll usually be just a white pipe coming out of the ground, going into another pipe. Here’s another example of that.Backwash pipe

Look and listen for water coming from this pipe.

Look and listen for water coming from this pipe. If you hear or see any water in this pipe while your system is running, this will confirm that you have a leak in your backwash system.

The leak is somewhere else if no water comes out of the backwash while you are running the system.

The leak is somewhere else if no water comes out of the backwash while you are running the system. At this point, it may be time to call a leak detection company near you to pinpoint where your leak is coming from

What to do next if you don’t have a leak in your backwash valve

We at True Blue Leak Detection believe it’s good to investigate before calling a leak detection company near you.

That’s why we recommend doing a pool bucket test to ensure you are losing water due to a leak and not just evaporation. Evaporation can be pretty high in the summer.

Click here to find out how to do a bucket test.

And please browse through the rest of our website, blog, and YouTube channel for more tips on troubleshooting your leaking pool.

If you have a leak and need someone to come out and find it, call us. Our phone number is 214-326-2634, or go to our online appointment page.