Non-destructive leak detection for swimming pools. We pressure-test the plumbing, listen for the leak with acoustic equipment, and dye-test the shell — then hand you a report that says exactly where it is, before anyone breaks concrete.
A pool drops about 2 cm a week to evaporation. More than that, or any of these, and it's worth a test.
Stand a bucket on the top step, fill it with pool water, and mark the level inside the bucket and the pool level outside it. Leave both 24 to 48 hours with the pump running as normal. If the pool drops more than the bucket, water is escaping. Run it again with the pump off: if the pool loses less with the pump off, the leak is in the plumbing; if it's the same either way, it's the shell, skimmer, lights or fittings. Either way, that's where we start.
We use whichever the pool needs, and usually more than one, until the source is located to within centimetres.
A pressure rig with controllable air and water valves, plus injection and compression plugs, seals off each plumbing line so we can test it on its own. A line that won't hold pressure is the line with the leak — and the escaping air makes a sound right at the fault.
The escaping water and air make a noise. Using the LeakTronics LT-2000 acoustic amplifier with a deck plate, ground probe and pipe mic, we listen through the water, the deck and the soil and mark the exact spot above the leak — so any digging is one small, precise hole.
A video scope with dye injection puts a camera on the skimmer throat, light niches, returns and cracks, then releases dye right at the spot. If there's a leak, the dye gets drawn straight in and we see the path on screen.
An underwater listening scope and a close check of the main drain, returns, light housings and any structural cracks — the parts you can't see or hear from the edge.
We run the LeakTronics Pro leak-detection system — the LT-2000 acoustic amplifier, deck plate, ground and pipe mics, underwater scope, video scope with dye injection, and a full pressure-testing rig. Professional equipment, [confirm: trained / certified on the system], so the answer you get is precise, not a guess.
Most pool leaks aren't a crack you can see. They're at a joint, a fitting or a buried pipe.
We talk through the symptoms and your bucket-test result, and book a visit.
Isolate the system, test the plumbing under pressure, inspect the shell and fittings.
Acoustic and dye testing to mark the exact spot, not just the general area.
Photos, where the leak is, and your options to fix it. [confirm: repair in-house or refer to your contractor]
The bucket test settles it. Evaporation takes water from the bucket and the pool at the same rate; a leak takes extra from the pool. If the pool drops noticeably more than the bucket over a day or two, you have a leak.
No. The whole point of pressure testing, acoustic location and dye testing is to find the leak without damage. If a repair needs a small excavation, we mark the exact spot first so it's one small hole, not a trench.
Most tests are done in a single visit of a couple of hours. Awkward or multiple leaks can take longer, and we'll tell you if a return visit is needed.
Yes. Pressure testing tells us which buried line is leaking, then the LT-2000 amplifier with a ground probe and pipe mic tracks the sound to a spot on the surface directly above the pipe.
That points to the pressure side of the plumbing — the return lines. Water only leaks out while it's being pushed through. It's a useful clue and it's exactly what pressure testing confirms.
[confirm] — we locate the leak and give you a written report. Repairs are [in-house / referred to a trusted contractor].
[confirm] — a leak test is a fixed call-out fee for the diagnosis and report. We'll quote you before we book.
Usually yes. A slow drop still shows on the bucket test, and pressure testing doesn't care how slow it is — a line either holds pressure or it doesn't.
Tell us what your pool's doing and we'll book a visit. Bring your bucket-test result if you have one.