Constant Water Loss

This section looks further at the Leak condition 1 situation where water loss continues regardless of whether the pump is on or off.

As mentioned on the previous page your pool plumbing system may not allow you to actually isolate the plumbing system from the pool structure without diving down to the bottom of the deep end and plugging the main drain. This can complicate the test results for the hydrostatic leak test and this is why it is so important to conduct multiple tests to help determine the origin of the leak.

Water Level Drops Constantly

While the main drain can confuse the findings of this test, and this fact is important to not overlook which is why it is mentioned so many times here, the fact is that most pool leaks that lose water at the same rate whether the pump is on or off will likely be a structural leak.

A structural leak is pretty much anything that is not a plumbing system leak and will most commonly be a hole in the liner of a pool or a crack in the concrete structure of the pool (or fiberglass). There are other common locations as well which should be considered which are around lights, stairs and anywhere else where gaskets are used to seal around a liner.

Concrete and fiberglass pools will tend to crack around the skimmers and along the deep end slopes where the stress forces are the greatest. In any case a pool that is experiencing a constant water loss should be subjected to the water level test to see if the exact cause for the water loss can be found.



Rate Of Water Loss

To a professional the amount of water that the pool is losing is a big indicator for the cause of the leak. Also is the history of the leak and whether it started suddenly or established itself slowly over time leaking more and more with each passing season.

Leaks that have set in quickly are more likely to be damage leaks like cracks in the structure or liner leaks where slow onset leaks are more likely to be in the plumbing system. This is valuable information in determining how to proceed from here.

If a plumbing system leak is suspected then a pressure test is usually the next step. When a structural leak is suspected it is usually recommended to complete the water level test if possible or potentially a dye test if any part of the pool is specifically suspected.



The menu on the right is a chronological step by step process to determine where a swimming pool is leaking. This website is written as a readthrough technical assistance guide for locating leaks. When you believe you have identified where the pool is leaking you need to go to our sister website to see pictures and learn more about the actual swimming pool leak repair process.