DIY Pool Repair

How To Find Swimming Pool Leaks

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• Home
  Swimming Pool Leak Detection
• Pool Resources
  List of swimming pool resources - Must read for any pool owner
• Signs of damage
  Obvious deficiencies can be a significant possibility for water loss
• Water loss characteristics
  Has the leak developed slowly over time or suddenly over a short period of time
• Pool plumbing systems
  Understanding your plumbing system is critical in being able to diagnose a leak in your swimming pool
• Hydrostatic test
  Learn how to monitor water loss and conduct a hydrostatic test for your pool
• Test Analysis
  Analyze the data from this leak detection test to find out where your pool is leaking
• Condition 1
  Leaking the same with plumbing system on and off
• Condition 2
  Leaking more when plumbing system is on, but water loss in both conditions
• Condition 3
  Leaking more when plumbing system is off, but water loss in both conditions
• Condition 4
  Leaking when plumbing system is on, not leaking when it is off
• Condition 5
  Leaking when plumbing system is off, but not leaking when it is on
• Leak detection test 2
  Another easy method to determine where your pool is leaking
• Water Level Test conclusions
  Analyze the results of the water level leak detection test
• Faceplates & Gaskets
  water level holds anywhere where gaskets or faceplates are touching the waterline
• Skimmer & Mid Wall
  water level below skimmer mouth but above return outlets
• Return Outlets
  water level holds at the height of wall returns
• Indefinite Drop
  water level continues to drain down past wall returns or lower
• Leak Detection Dye Test
  Use colored dye to locate leaks in your swimming pool
• Common Pool Leak Points
  Breakdown of pool components prone to failure and associated water loss symptoms
• Hole In the Liner
  See symptoms associated with a hole in the liner of your swimming pool
• HRV Failure
  Hydrostatic relief valve failure symptoms
• Filter Head Gasket
  Filter head gasket alignment is a common location for unexplained water loss
• Leaking Skimmer
  See symptoms associated with a leaking or cracked skimmer
• Leaking Return Lines
  See symptoms associated with leaks in the swimming pool return lines

Water Loss

There are so many factors that can make leak detection is a swimming pool difficult. Of the most significant observations is the rate of water loss under various conditions in the pool. If you establish a regular schedule of monitoring water loss in your pool then you can spot potential patterns that may help to locate the origin of the leak.

In addition to the isolation tests that are covered later in this guide where you will run the pool for periods of time with and without the filtration system running you want to also take note of any additional factors such as weather. By keeping what could be considered to be a diary about the pool you can begin to see patterns develop.



For example if you notice that every time it rains the pool stops losing water for 3 days this is an indication that you may have a skimmer line leak and the earth, when saturated with rain water, slows the rate of the leak. You would not notice this pattern unless you were recording regular details about the pool and its history. Maybe the pool light stopped working recently and this could be a sign of a problem bigger than just a burnt out bulb needing replacement.

Signs Of Pool Leaks

If you keep a running log of all interactions you have with your pool then you will have the best possible likelihood of finding a leak on your own. You should be recording such events as how often you are adding water, how much water was lost from the pool between fillings, weather patterns such as rain or hot dry weather, when you last backwashed the pool and for how long you ran the backwash etc.

It is the combination of this information that provides benefit and not just any one piece of the puzzle. Keeping detailed records will assist with spotting patterns or symptoms of other problems which may lead to the leak. This is a similar process to how professionals find pool leaks however they use an abbreviated assessment combined with physical tests such as pressure tests or electronic leak detection tests as well.



You have the benefit of creating a much more in depth assessment and an additional benefit of this is that any future owners of your house will be able to see how well the pool was cared for from the maintenance records.

Pool Leak Observations

While recording every detail of your pool is great and will be very helpful in finding the cause of the water loss, at some point you need to get a little more technical and start to isolate parts of the pool and begin closing in on the leak source.

You can now proceed to the first leak detection section that looks at a common cause for pool leaks - the pool plumbing system



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.