Swimming pool leak detection in Tucson, AZ

Pool evaporation or a leak: how to tell in Tucson

The bucket test answers this in 24 hours. It matters more in Tucson than almost anywhere, because evaporation here is high enough to look like a leak.

Long-term pan evaporation records for Tucson put June and July losses at around 12 to 13 inches for the month. A pool loses somewhat less than an open pan, but a quarter inch a day in dry, windy June weather is normal, and a pool heated into the cooler months loses more.

That's why "it's dropping an inch every few days" doesn't settle anything here. The bucket test removes the weather from the question:

1. Turn the autofill off. Fill the pool to its normal level.
2. Fill a bucket most of the way with pool water and set it on a step so the bucket's water is close to pool temperature.
3. Mark the water level inside the bucket and the pool level on the outside of the bucket.
4. Leave it for 24 hours with the pump on its normal schedule. No swimming.
5. Compare the marks. Both levels drop from evaporation. If the pool dropped noticeably more than the bucket, the pool is leaking.

Run it a second time with the pump off for the full 24 hours. The comparison is useful: more loss with the pump running points to the pressure side plumbing, the return lines.

More loss with the pump off points to the suction side. The same loss either way points to the shell or a fitting in it.

Signs of a swimming pool leak

• The autofill never stops, or you hear it running every time you walk past. An autofill hides a leak in the pool and moves it to your water bill.
• The water level drops and then holds at a certain height. The leak is at that level: the skimmer mouth, a return fitting, a light niche, or the tile line.
• Air bubbles from the return jets or air collecting in the pump basket. That's a suction side leak pulling air in.
• Wet soil, soft ground, or algae near the equipment pad or along the path of the underground lines.
• Deck sections that have sunk, lifted, or cracked near the skimmer or along the pool edge.
• Cracks in the plaster or tiles coming loose at the waterline.
• Chemicals that won't hold. Constant fresh water dilutes stabilizer and salt and makes the pool hard to balance.

Where swimming pools most often leak

The skimmer is the first place to check. The joint where the plastic skimmer body meets the concrete pool wall separates as the deck and shell move differently. After that come light niches and their conduits, return and cleaner fittings, the main drain, and structural cracks, particularly at steps and where an attached spa meets the pool.

Underground, glued PVC joints fail, and lines crack where the soil has settled. At the equipment pad, look at the pump shaft seal, filter and heater connections, and the backwash valve, which can leak steadily down the waste line where no one sees it.

How pool leak detection works

1. Review the water loss. Your bucket test results and pump on and off comparison tell us where to concentrate.
2. Inspect the equipment pad. Pump, filter, heater, valves, and the backwash line are checked for drips and for water where it shouldn't be.
3. Pressure test the plumbing. Each line is plugged at the pool and tested separately: skimmer, main drain, returns, cleaner line, spa lines, and water features. A line that won't hold pressure has a leak in it.
4. Locate the break in a failed line. With the line under air and water pressure, the leak is found by listening on the deck and ground along its route.
5. Dye test the shell. With the pump off and the water still, a small amount of dye is released at cracks, fittings, the skimmer throat, light niches, and the main drain. If dye is drawn in, water is leaving there.
6. Listen underwater. An underwater microphone can pick up water moving through a crack or fitting.
7. Mark and report. Each leak found is marked, and we tell you which line or fitting it is and what kind of repair it usually calls for.

What affects the cost of pool leak detection

• Number of plumbing lines. A basic pool has a few. Add an attached spa, a waterfall, deck jets, an in-floor cleaning system, or solar heating, and there are many more lines to test one by one.
• Pool size and depth. More surface, more fittings, and a deeper main drain all add time.
• Water clarity. Dye testing needs clear, still water. A green or cloudy pool has to be cleared before the shell can be tested.
• Water level. The pool should be at its normal level. If it has dropped below the skimmer, it needs filling first, unless the level has stabilized, which is useful information by itself.
• Decking. Lines under thick concrete, pavers, or flagstone are harder to listen to than lines under soil.
• More than one leak. It's common to find a skimmer leak and a plumbing leak on the same pool.

When a pool leak needs urgent attention

A few pool leak situations shouldn't wait:

• The level has dropped below the skimmer and the pump is pulling air. Turn the pump off. Running dry destroys the pump seal and can damage the motor.
• The ground or deck is sinking near the pool, or water is surfacing close to the house foundation or a retaining wall.
• The pool is losing several inches a day.

One caution specific to our climate: don't drain the pool to find or stop a leak. Plaster that's exposed to direct Tucson summer sun and heat can crack, craze, and separate from the shell within days. Let the water settle to wherever it stops, note that level, and call.

How to prepare the pool for leak detection

• Fill to the normal operating level the day before, then turn the autofill off.
• Have the water clean and clear enough to see the main drain.
• Take the automatic cleaner out of the pool.
• Make sure the equipment pad and the timer or control panel are accessible.
• Have your bucket test numbers ready, with the pump on and with it off.
• If the level stops dropping at a particular point, mark that point with tape.

Pool leak repair after the leak is found

Leak Detective doesn't repair pools. Typical fixes carried out by pool repair companies include sealing the skimmer joint or a light conduit with pool putty or epoxy, patching or injecting a structural crack, and cutting the deck to replace a section of broken line. With our findings you can get like-for-like quotes.

After the repair, run the bucket test again. The pool and the bucket should drop by the same amount.

If your water bill is still high with the pool fixed, the loss is somewhere else on the property. Our broader Tucson leak detection service covers the house, the yard line, and irrigation, and a high water bill leak check is the place to start.