Well, unfortunately you know you have a leak in your pool. Now you ask, how do I find the cause of the leak? I have compiled the following information of what I look for in a leak detection to help you.

Where to Look for the Leak

First off, there are numerous places to look for the leak, especially in a vinyl liner pool. A  pool may lose water from many places, such as:

  • Around the Steps or Buddy Seat Area
  • Skimmers
  • Pool Fittings
  • Pool Liner
  • Main Drain
  • Pool Plumbing
  • Light Niche

Should your water level drop and then stabilize at a particular point, that is a BIG CLUE on where to look.

 

What to Look for in Each Area

  1. Pool Steps or Buddy Seat – When steps are installed, the liner is cut and a plastic seal is tightly screwed on the top of a gasket. Using a good swim mask, inspect this area carefully for any holes or where any debris may have been sucked in.
  2. Skimmers – This is another area that the liner is cut. Check the faceplate, screws and gasket for any cracks, missing screws. Dye testing this area works best.
  3. Pool Fittings – You will want to check the Return Fittings, Suction Fittings and the face plates surrounding them. By using the “Dye Test” you will be able to see if the dye is being sucked in behind any of these fittings.
  4. Pool Liner – Checking the liner may be accomplished a couple of ways. The first being performing a “Bucket Test” and the second is with good swim goggles to swim and inspect the entire liner. A diver is the best option for checking the liner (if you are not a champion swimmer and cannot hold your breath long enough ).
  5. Main Drain – The Main Drain will need to be plugged off, again a diver is best suited for this test.
  6. Pool Plumbing – With the Pool on, mark the water level and run pool for a minimum 4-6 hours and check to see if pool water level has dropped. If no water has been lost, it is most likely not in the pool plumbing. If the water level has dropped, each line needs to be eliminated one by one by doing the following:
    • Plug all lines one by one.
    • Remove plugs one at a time to see when the leak starts again. ( This process can take several days, so be sure your chlorine level is boosted, you have skimmed the pool surface, brushed the walls daily to maintain the water quality.)
  7. Light Niche – This is the circular area again where if you have a liner pool, the liner is cut. The face plate should have no cracks, have all screws intact and not loose and the gasket should be checked. Dye testing again works well in this area.

My absolute best advice would be once you have eliminated many of the obvious possible sources of the leak and if you cannot find it, call a Pool Professional to perform a leak detection. Make sure you let them know as much detailed information as possible as to what you have tried and about your pool overall.

I am hoping this blog has assisted you in the location of your pool leak, and the best news is that if you were able to locate the leak, it is may be fairly easy to repair.