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How Can You Tell If You Have A Pool Leak (And What to Do)

Depending on the size and design of your pool, adding an inground concrete pool can add up to 8% to the value of your home. However, pools also have many additional costs.

Maintenance and repairs for your swimming pool can cost hundreds of dollars each month, so it is important that you learn to recognize the signs of a pool leak so you don’t lose water in your pool.

Do you want to learn how to find a leak in a pool and more about pool leak repair? Keep reading this guide for everything you need to know about pool leak detection!

Common Signs of a Pool Leak

Pool leaks can quickly cause damage to your pool and other areas of your yard. Depending on how large the leak is, you may be losing several inches of water from your pool each day.

To prevent unnecessary damage from a pool leak, you must learn how to recognize the sights of a pool leak. Here are some of the most common signs that you may see when you have a leak in your pool.

Your Pool Is Losing Water

One of the easiest ways to determine if you have a leak in your pool is if your pool is constantly losing water. You will most often notice this when you see water level changes in your pool.

However, dropping water levels can be due to a few other issues, including evaporation. If your pool is losing water from evaporation, the evaporation rates will depend on the wind, air, and water temperatures.

Typically, you can use an evaporation calculator to see how much water should be evaporating in your area. If you are losing more water than that, it is a sign that your pool is leaking.

Increased Chemical Demand

When you are constantly losing water from a pool leak, you may also see an increase in the chemicals necessary to balance your pool. This is because the water that was already treated in your pool may be leaking out into surrounding areas.

Your pool will then begin to fill with untreated water that needs to be chemically balanced.

If you notice that you are going through your pool chemicals or need more frequent pool maintenance, this is likely due to a leak in your pool.

Structural Issues

Next, you may notice structural issues with your pool if you have a serious leak. This is often due to the leak causing unsettled ground. When this happens, it can lead to cracks or gaps in your tile, falling tiles, and other structural issues as your pool settles into the ground.

If your pool leak leads to structural damage to your pool, this can be quite expensive to fix. It may lead to issues with your pool’s construction, mechanical systems, and plumbing.

By identifying this leak and improving your maintenance, you will save money on these expensive repairs.

Algae Growth

Another common sign that you might have a leak in your pool is if you have algae growth in your pool. While algae can be caused by other issues, it is still something that you should investigate!

Algae is common in leaky pools because you are regularly adding new water to your pool, which is not treated.

Because of this, you may not be using enough chemicals in your pool to prevent algae and other growth. This may lead to algae growth or discoloration in your pool. Rather than adding extra chemicals to your pool to treat the water, it is important that you look for other signs of a leak in your pool.

Wet Spots in Yard

Something else that is a common sign of a pool leak is having wet spots in your grass. Often, when the plumbing of your pool leaks, it will overwater your grass and lead to soft, mushy spots of grass near the pool.

It can also lead to uneven grass growth. Even if the plumbing doesn’t cause this issue, the shifting water movement underground can cause erosion which will lead to shifting or sinking landscaping.

Higher Water Bills

Because pool leaks waste so much water, you will also see much higher water bills than you are used to if you have a leak.

Often, people who have pools that automatically fill may not recognize any of these other signs of a pool leak. However, you may notice that your autofill feature is running constantly or you may find that you get an extra high water bill at the end of the month.

In these cases, you should investigate to see if there is a leak in your pool.

Standing Water Near Equipment

Finally, you may notice that there is standing water underneath your equipment if you have a leak in your pool. This is most common when you have a leak in your pipes or near your pool pump.

Because this equipment is above ground, these are often easier to identify and fix. You will be able to see the water leaking out or you will notice that there is constantly water around this equipment.

What to Do After a Pool Leak

If you have recognized any of these signs of a pool leak, you need to work quickly to resolve the problem. Identifying a pool leak early and fixing it as soon as possible will prevent unnecessary damage to your pool and landscaping.

Here are some of the top steps you must take after you have recognized any of these pool leak signs.

Test for a Leaking Pool

One of the first things you can do is confirm that your pool is leaking. Even if you have recognized these signs, there may be other factors at play that may not necessarily be a leak in your pool.

There are a few different tests you can conduct to confirm that your pool is leaking.

The easiest way to identify a leak is by doing a bucket test. First, take a 5-gallon bucket and fill it with water from your pool, about two inches from the top of the bucket.

This will ensure that the bucket is heavy enough to avoid floating and that it has the same temperature as the water as your pool.

Then, turn the pool pump off and mark the water level inside the bucket with a piece of tape. You can use another piece of tape to mark the level of water inside the pool.

After 24 hours, check the water level inside the bucket compared to the tape that you put on the bucket. This will show you how much water should have evaporated.

Then, check the water level in the pool. If the water lost from the bucket matches the water lost in the pool, then your pool doesn’t have a leak and the water lost was simply due to evaporation.

Identify the Source of the Leak

If the bucket test reveals a leak in your pool, you should attempt to identify the source of the leak.

One way you can do this is to continue to let your pool drain. If it drains a few inches and then stops, you can safely assume that the leak is near the top of the pool. If it continues to drain completely, then you may have a leak at the bottom of the pool.

However, this can potentially waste a lot of water. You can also do some spot checks throughout your pool to see if there are visible signs of a leak.

Lastly, you can put dye or food coloring around the area where you suspect a leak. If it gets sucked into a crack or hole, you have found the source of the leak.

Hire a Professional Pool Service

Finally, it is essential that you call a professional pool service to help you! If you were not able to identify the source of the leak, a pool professional can help you with pool leak detection.

This can help you determine where the leak is coming from, whether or not there are multiple leaks, and can identify the extent of the damage from your pool leak. They can also help you discuss leak repair services and other maintenance that can help prevent leaks in the future!

If you need to fix a leak in the pool, it is best to hire a professional.

Get Help With Pool Leak Repair Today

A leaking pool can be disastrous for many homeowners. Not only can it cause serious structural damage to your pool, but it can also lead to higher water bills and other problems for your home. If you notice any of these signs of a pool leak, you must act quickly!

Do you need help with a pool leak repair in New Jersey? Dell Outdoors can help! We can help you design and build custom pools and offer pool leak detection services.