Service
Inground pool leak detection
This page covers inground pools built in concrete, gunite or fiberglass; vinyl liner pools have their own page. The whole job is narrowing a pool down to one place. Everything else (how much concrete comes up, what the repair costs, whether it holds) follows from getting that right. The work is the same whether the pool sits in Wilmington or farther along the North Carolina coast.
What a detection visit involves
We isolate the pool’s systems and test them separately rather than treating the pool as one object. The shell, the skimmer, the returns, the main drain and each run of plumbing all fail differently and all sound different.
Acoustic listening does most of the work. Water escaping a pressurized line makes a specific noise, and with the line isolated that noise can be followed to a point rather than a general area. Pressure testing confirms which line is losing and dye testing confirms a suspected structural point.
Where pools actually lose water
Roughly in the order we test. Knowing which of these it is changes the repair completely.
- Plumbing lines
- Suction and return runs under the deck or the yard. Often a joint rather than a length of pipe, which is why locating it precisely matters so much.
- Skimmer throat
- The joint between the skimmer and the pool wall is a common separation point, and it is usually reachable without major excavation.
- Returns and fittings
- Threaded fittings loosen and seals fail. Frequently the simplest of these to put right.
- The shell
- Cracks and hairlines in plaster, gunite or fiberglass. Dye testing confirms whether a visible crack is actually passing water.
- Main drain
- Harder to reach and harder to test, which is exactly why it should be confirmed rather than assumed.
- Light niches and penetrations
- Any point where something passes through the shell is a candidate.
Pricing
What it costs
The exact price depends on the pool and the problem, so we quote for your pool before we start and you have the price before any work begins.
Leak detection
Starting at $375
Quoted for your pool before we start. Call with what the pool is doing and you will have the price before any work begins.
Found it? Repair it with us.
$200 off the repair
If we find the leak and you schedule the repair with us within 48 hours, $200 comes off the repair.
Tell us what it’s doing.
Describe what you are seeing and we will tell you what it sounds like and what a visit would involve. If it is dropping fast, call. You will reach a three-person, owner-led team.
How do I know whether I have a leak or it is just evaporation?
Losing more than about a quarter of an inch a day, consistently, and losing it whether the equipment runs or sits, points to a leak. You can check it in 24 hours with a bucket and a marker. Call and we will talk you through it at no charge.
Do you have to jackhammer my deck?
Not to find the leak. Detection is non-invasive. Whether anything needs opening afterward depends on where the leak turns out to be, and that is precisely why locating it accurately first keeps the opening small.
What if you cannot find a leak?
Sometimes the answer is that the pool is not leaking, and that is a real result worth having. We will tell you what we tested and what we ruled out.
How long does it take?
Most residential pools are a single visit. Complex plumbing or several simultaneous problems can take longer, and we will say so rather than rushing it.