Pool Leak Detection Kits: Do They Work?
If you’re worried you might have a pool leak, there are a few key warning signs to notice.
The first involves constantly saturated ground around your pool. A little dampness from pool water splashing is one thing—but the area shouldn’t look like a bog at all times. Increasing water bills, a system that cycles too often, and prematurely cracked tiles on your pool deck—all these are signs that you might have a potentially serious problem on your hands.
Fortunately, numerous options are available to help you get to the bottom of things once and for all. One involves the use of a pool leak detection kit, which is an invaluable piece of equipment for a wide range of reasons.
Related Article: Pool Leaks: Signs Types and Risks of Ignoring the Issues
What Are Pool Leak Detection Kits?
A pool leak detection kit is exactly what it sounds like—a series of tests in one convenient package that will help you figure out if and where you have a pool leak, so you can solve your leaky pool problem.
Most pool leak detection kits you’ll find in pool supply stores will be dye tests. This is a visual way to confirm where a leak may be present, as it can often be difficult using only the water in your pool.
What Types of Leaks Do They Find?
A pool leak detection kit can help you discover a few different types of leaks. They can indicate leaks in pool liners, for example, as well as structural leaks and similar issues.
However, leaks present in any underground plumbing are a bit trickier, even with the more advanced leak detection kits you can buy. Here, you’ll likely want to call in professional help, so they can find the precise location of your pool leak and perform critically needed repairs.
Related Article: Leaking Pools: Where Do Most of the Issues Occur?
How to Use a Pool Leak Detection Kit
When using a pool leak detection kit, you should be sure you have all the appropriate accessories at the ready. Since the leak could be near the bottom of your pool, well below the water line, you’ll need a pair of goggles at the bare minimum. Depending on how long you plan on staying underwater, you may also need a snorkel, so you can pay close attention to what is happening without repeatedly needing to surface.
When you begin to use your pool leak detection kit, the first thing you should do is thoroughly examine the area around your pool. Look for large accumulations of water or other signs of wetness where absolutely none should be present. You’re not looking for water that may have been splashed by family members or pets. You’re trying to find spots that are far wetter than they reasonably would be. This will give you a decent indication of what part of the pool the leak is in.
Once your examination is complete and before proceeding, you should turn off your pool’s filtration system. This is important for a few different reasons. For starters, if you suspect you may have a leak in your pool because the water level keeps dropping, disabling the filtration system and pool pump for the leak detection test will provide you with some direction on which area you should be looking in. When using a dye test, the unobstructed flow of water is very important. You don’t need your pool pump to keep water circulating and give you something like a “false positive” result.
If you turn the pool pump off and the water level stops dropping, this could also be an indication that the problem rests not with your pool but with the filtration system. In this case, you will probably need to buy replacement parts so any necessary repairs can be made. Keep that in mind moving forward.
Finally, you’ll be able to use the dye from the leak-finding kit to carefully examine where the leak might be. While being as careful as possible not to disturb the water, put the dye near the spot where you think the leak is located. Depending on the situation, you may be required to get below the water line.
If a leak is present, the dye will begin to quickly move toward it, almost like a current. It should look as though the dye is being sucked out of the pool as if there were a vacuum on the other side of your liner or wall. This should show you exactly where the leak is. This is invaluable information, so you can call a professional, point out the problem area, and allow them to do their work quickly and efficiently.
Depending on the leak detection kit you purchased, it may also come with everything you need to perform basic repairs. Some type of underwater sealant may have been included that can help effectively seal small leaks.
If you’ve previously purchased a pool leak detection kit but don’t have any of the dye left, don’t worry. You could always use food coloring or some other safe type of colored liquid to accomplish much the same thing. So long as whatever you add to your pool is easy to distinguish from the water itself, there should be no problems.
Related Article: How to Find and Fix a Pool Leak
Related Article: Pool Leak Bucket Test: How and When to Do It
GPS Pools Professional Leak Detection Services
While detecting a pool leak is certainly something you can do yourself, there are situations where you won’t want to go at it alone—which is where the experts come in. Professional pool leak detection services, just like those offered by GPS Pools from our locations in New Tampa, Lutz, and Land O’ Lakes, are ideal for situations such as when you have an in-ground pool leak. It can be very difficult to determine the exact cause or even the location without proper equipment and expertise. We have been working with people for years all throughout Odessa, Seven Springs, Wesley Chapel, Pebble Creek, Tampa Palms, Lake Fern, and more, and we can help you too.
Even above-ground pool leaks can be problematic, as you need to quickly and effectively get to the bottom of the problem, so you can put a stop to it. A leak could develop due to the shifting of any type of deck or other structure that has been built around the pool. These types of situations can occur regardless of how careful you are, but that doesn’t mean you have to put up with them for very long.
Whether you require swapping out gaskets, replacing old pipes or something else entirely, professional pool leak detection and repair services are more than worth the investment.