Pool Leak Detection in Los Angeles

Common Causes of Swimming Pool Leaks

There are many incidents that could occur to cause your swimming pool to leak. There’s a good chance you will encounter one or more of them over the life of your pool. Leaks may be caused by natural disasters, long-term wear, malfunctioning equipment, improper installation of equipment, and the intrusion of roots and vegetation.

Differences in the soil in which the pool is built can settle over time and cause cracking of the structure and thereby leak water. Tree roots can grow near the pool wall or into the pool and create leaks. Other times, issues can arise because the pool was built out-of-level or faulty equipment caused the pool to overfill, undermining the dirt below the pool.

There are a few common indicators that your swimming pool may have a leak. You can learn a lot by spending a few minutes looking around your pool, deck, and yard. If you notice any of these signs around your pool, take notes about their location and description. This practice will be extremely helpful when you call for a leak detection or to get your pool inspected.

Signs of a Potential Pool Leak:

• Cracks in the pool, deck, or at the tile line
• Loose coping or tile
• Leaking or broken conduit/plumbing
• Calcium or debris lines above the waterline
• Tree roots visible near the pool or noticeable deck lifting
• Air in the suction (lots of air in the pump sump) or return lines at the side of the pool

Suspect Your Pool Has a Leak?

If you suspect your swimming pool has a leak but are not sure, there are two simple methods you can do yourself to check: Measuring the water level and the “Bucket Test.”

Measuring the Water Level

Water can typically evaporate as much as an eighth of an inch over a 24-hour period, especially in the hot California summers. The instructions below will help you to determine if your pool is losing more water than it should to evaporation alone. Here are the steps to follow:

• Make a small mark with a sharpie or a grease pencil on the tile where the water level lands.
• Wait a full 24 hours.
• If the water is lower than ⅛ to ¼”, you very well may have a leak.

The Bucket Test

1. Get a clean plastic bucket and some kind of weight (stone, brick, etc.).
2. Turn off any auto-fill device that you have on in your pool, spa, or water feature.
3. Fill the bucket with enough water so it’s even with the pool water while the bucket is on the first or second step of the pool
4. Add weight to hold the bucket down if needed.
5. Mark the water level inside the bucket with a permanent marker.
6. Mark the outside of the bucket with a permanent marker at the current level of the pool water.
7. Take photos of both water levels and marks for reference.
8. Turn off all equipment using the breakers. (That way it doesn’t automatically turn on for the next cleaning cycle.)
9. Wait a full 24 hours to check the new water levels
10. After the 24 hours , notice if the water in the pool is lower than the water in the bucket.
11. If the pool water level is lower than the bucket water, then most likely you have a leak in the pool.
12. You can repeat this test at the spa as well to help isolate the location of the leak. Any photos of your results will be extremely helpful for us should you decide to have us investigate your leak.
13. Don’t forget to turn on your auto-fill device back and the breakers at the equipment.

If you’ve performed either of the above tests and they indicate there is a leak in your pool, contact us as soon as possible. Certified Pool Inspections will get one of our professionals out to you as quickly as possible. Also, make sure to provide your pool leak detection professional with any data or photographs you collected when you performed either of the tests outlined above.

Your Custom Leak Detection Report

When you have us perform your pool leak detection in Los Angeles, a complete, custom pool report is included. In the report, we’ll outline any anticipated costs for repairs or replacements to fix the problems we found.

You can have confidence that our repair recommendations are trustworthy and unbiased because we are there to give you the information, not do the repair work for you. We promise your custom pool report will never include any fabricated problems, and you can rely on it to eliminate any hidden costs from the repair equation.

Beyond just the leak detection, we’ll answer any general questions you may have about your pool and its features, as well as take the time to educate you on swimming pools and what is needed to keep your system running smoothly. We want you to enjoy your swimming pool and to know it well too!

Pool Leak Detection and Pool Inspection

If you are considering purchasing a home with a swimming pool, we can do a leak detection service at the same time as the swimming pool inspection. Our inspector will perform the same extremely detailed pool inspection as well as checks for leaks in the pool and plumbing lines.

Our Los Angeles pool leak detection service for homes in escrow is non-invasive. We use listening equipment and non-toxic tracing dyes to detect and locate leaks. These methods will allow us to determine if there’s a leak in the pool and give direction for what can be done about it. And, we include anticipated costs for repairs. Call for full details and limitations for properties in escrow. If you schedule a pool leak detection service along with a pool inspection, we’ll offer a discount for both services.

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Do you suspect your pool has a leak and want to make sure it doesn't? Click to contact us or call our team and schedule your service today!