Spring Checkup: Leaks in Your Pool

Winter can seem long and when it comes time to embrace spring, you cannot wait to open your swimming pool. Once you go through the process of cleaning and preparing your pool for swimming season, you should still keep an eye on your pool. Cold snaps during the winter can cause damage to plumbing and pool equipment that may not be noticeable right away. Once your pool is open, you need to check for leaks from winter damage.

Pool Pump Leaks

If there is a leak in your pool pump, you can have several issues. There are three common places for leaks on pool pumps: the suction side, the discharge side and at the connection of the motor and pump. If there is a leak on the suction side, it is air and can interfere with the pump function. On the discharge side, it is a water leak that will eventually be noticeable with excess water. If the leak is between the motor and pump, the problem is most likely with the shaft seal.

General Pool Leaks

Whether it is caused by freezing or deterioration, leaks can occur in your underground plumbing and the shell of your pool. Once your pool is filled and circulating again, watch for signs of leaking. Wet or soggy areas around the pool can be a sign of underground leaks. Also watch the level of water in your pool; if you need to add water more often than usual, you could have a pool leak.

If you notice signs that a leak was created during the winter, contact your local pool service for repair. In no time, your pool will be ready to enjoy again.

Posted on behalf of:
Somar Pool Service & Repairs
4581 Weston Road
Weston, FL 33331
(954) 840-8544

The Science of Finding a Pool Leak

Eventually, every pool will have a leak. It may be small, or it could be significant, but the design of encasing hundreds of gallons of water is bound to fail at one point or another. A pool can last for many years without a leak, but when one does finally occur, the best solution is detecting and repairing it as quickly as possible. A minor leak will only get worse if not repaired. The key is having a pool leak detection expert use the latest technology and methods to find the leak fast, so repair work can begin.

Throw Away the Bucket

The old “bucket test” is still viable for a pool owner to check if their pool is losing water, but it is far from accurate. There are many factors that can impact your water level on your pool, including evaporation and usage. When it comes to finding a pool leak, you want a pool leak specialist that has a scientific method for recognizing a pool leak and determining where it is located.

Pool leak specialists can use a computerized water measuring device that will indicate whether water is being lost in minutes – no waiting for days to measure the water in a bucket. They can also use tools to check the water pressure in the plumbing. Knowing how much the pool is leaking and narrowing down whether it is in the pool or in the plumbing is the first step in pinpointing the leak and ensuring it is repaired quickly.

If you are concerned that you have a pool leak, contact a pool leak specialist that uses the latest technology and tools to quickly find leaks and complete the repair.

Posted on behalf of:
Somar Pools, LLC
6538 Collins Ave, #42
Miami Beach, FL 33141
(305) 767-7755

How Can You Tell if Your Pool Is Leaking?

It is an unfortunate fact that many pools will get a leak at one point or another. It could be a loose seal around a drain, in the underground plumbing or in the pump equipment. Pool leaks can start small, but they rarely stay that way. A big leak can do extensive damage to your property and even your home, costing thousands of dollars.

The best solution when it comes to pool leaks is catching them right away. This can be tough. A big pool with a small leak is not always immediately noticeable. However, if you know what to look for, you can catch it before it does too much damage or gets worse. Here are a few signs to look for that may alert you to a leak:

  • Soft ground. If you have underground plumbing that goes under your yard to the pool, leaks can be under the grass. Look for soggy spots on your lawn near the pool or areas of grass that are different (greener, yellow or taller). There could be a water leak under the ground.
  • Finding puddles around the pool equipment or pump? Look for trickles of water from fixtures. Often a worn-out washer or other fixture can spring a leak.
  • Water level. Small leaks can take quite a while to affect the water level, but it will happen. It your pool water level is going down more than usual, it is time to call in a leak detection specialist right away.

One of the many benefits of having a professional clean and service your pool regularly is they can catch even small leaks during their service. However, if you service your pool yourself, keep an eye out for these leak alerts and call in a professional if you think your pool is leaking for a repair.

Posted on behalf of:
Somar Pool Service & Repairs
4581 Weston Road
Weston, FL 33331
(954) 840-8544

Where Is Your Pool Leak?

Are you concerned that you have a pool leak? If you have done the tried-and-true bucket test and found you are losing water, you know you have a problem. But how severe is it and where is the leak? When it comes to pool leaks, there are a plethora of areas that can be to blame. Here are a few of the places where you could be leaking water from your pool:

  • Fittings and drains. One of the most common places for pool leaks is around any type of fitting or drain. Anywhere a seam is needed between the pool cement or shell can lose its seal and begin to leak. Lights, drains, skimmers and other fittings are always a good place to start looking for leaks.
  • Plumbing. Although less common, your plumbing to the pool could be the source of your leak. Unfortunately, many of these pipes are often underground, but you can inspect the pipes and plumbing you do have access to.
  • Shell or pool walls. If there is a crack in your pool that is leaking water, you have a major issue on your hands. This can be indicative of bigger problems with your pool and needs professional attention immediately.

Pool leaks will not get better without a repair, so finding the source is the first step in fixing the issue. Most pool owners will have a hard time finding a pool leak on their own, much less fixing it. If you have a leak, call your local pool service that offers leak repairs. They can quickly find the source of the leak and give you repair options to get it stopped.

Posted on behalf of Somar Pools, LLC
Miami Beach, FL
(305) 767-7755

Dangers of a Pool Leak

It is easy to notice a pool leak during the summer. You use your pool all the time and a drop in water level or wet areas around the pool are easy to spot during swimming season. Then, when the winter months roll around, in can be easy to miss these signs. However, a pool leak is even more dangerous if allowed to go undetected. Here are a few ways a pool leak can affect you and your home.

  • Water waste. A pool leak is a large waste of water. Not only is this a drain on natural resources and energy, it is a drain on your bank account.  You could be losing hundreds or even thousands of gallons of water each month through a pool leak.
  • Water damage. Leaking water can create havoc on your property, including damage to your home’s foundation. A large leak could even cause flooding in your basement and lead to interior water and mold damage. This is a very costly expense and made worse the longer it goes undetected.
  • Soil erosion. Underground leaks from your pool can cause major soil erosion, destroying expensive landscaping and causing sinkholes in your yard.

To avoid these hazardous pool leak problems, make sure you are inspecting your pool every week, even during the winter months. Check the water levels and look for wet spots around the pool. If you think you may have a leak, call your local pool experts. They can quickly examine your pool and detect any leaks. The quicker leaks are caught and repaired, the better chance you have to avoid expensive damage to your home and property.

Posted on behalf of Somar Pool Service & Repairs
4581 Weston Road
Weston, FL 33331
(954) 840-8544

3 Signs of a Pool Leak

One of the most common issues with owning a pool is a leak. A small rupture in the lining, shell or even in the plumbing can allow water to seep from your pool into your property. Even a small leak can lose hundreds of gallons of water a day, eroding the surrounding soil and even damaging your home. While a big leak may be obvious, those smaller pool leaks can be just as destructive if not fixed quickly. Here are three signs that you may have a pool leak that needs repair.

  1. Water loss. The most evident sign of a leak is a noticeable loss of water in your pool. Although you will lose water from splash and evaporation, if the water level is going down quicker than normal, there is a good chance you have a leak. Keep an eye on your water bill for changes in water use.
  2. Wet ground. If you notice areas in the ground surrounding your pool that are wet or maybe the grass is greener in one area, you may have a leak underground.
  3. Bubbles. Look for air bubbles that are coming up in your pool. If the leak is allowing air to come in underwater into the pool, small bubbles may appear over the leak or ruptured area.

If you think you may have a leak, you need to call your local pool repair service that specializes in leak detection and repair. Using specialized equipment, they can find the exact spot of the leak and begin the repair process. This can prevent further damage to your property and home, plus get your pool back to running efficiently.

Posted on behalf of Somar Pools, LLC
Miami Beach, FL
(305) 767-7755

Do You Have A Leak In Your Pool?

It’s an unfortunate fact of life: if you own a pool, eventually your pool will develop a leak. It could be from a tiny crack in your pool’s shell, a leak around the drain or skimmer, or in the underground plumbing. Once a pool leak is detected, it is important to determine the source as quickly as possible and have it repaired before it causes damage to your property.

Detecting A Leak

The most common way to determine if you have a leak in your pool is to watch your water level. Although you will always lose some water to evaporation or splash, if the level is dropping faster than usual, you may have a leak. Look for areas around your pool where the ground is wet, or for water dripping or spraying from the pump or filter.

If you think your pool has a leak, the next step will be to find the source and have it fixed. Finding the source is not always easy, as there are many possible places where your pool may eventually lose some structural integrity. Some of the most common areas are within your pool shell, especially anywhere there is an opening or fixture, such as the drain or skimmer. In most cases, you will need a professional pool service company to analyze your pool in order to find the leak and then proceed with repairs.

A professional pool service company with experience in leak detection can usually find the source of the leak and get it fixed before there’s any further damage to your property. As soon as you realize you may have a leak, call a pool service company specializing in leak repair to get the problem resolved immediately.

Posted on behalf of Somar Pools

Looking for Pool Leaks

While it’s true that most pools lose some water over a period of time through splashing, backwashing the filter and evaporation, if you are having to add water to your pool weekly, then you may possibly have a leak. To determine if you do have a leak, mark the water level of your pool with a piece of tape or grease pencil, then check it 24 hours later. Your pool should not be losing more than one-quarter inch of water per day.

Now, how do you find that leak? Of course, you first want to check all the obvious places such as the equipment pad, filter, pump, heater and pipe valves. Walk around your pool and its equipment looking for wet areas, as well as sunken areas or ground showing erosion. Look for tears or seam separations if your pool has a vinyl liner. Turn off the pools filtration system and note where the water level stops dropping; this could tell you if the leak is in the skimmer, filter, or light housing. If the water level continues to drop, the leak may be in or around the drain at the bottom of the pool. If you have identified the leak as coming from the skimmer, filtration system or light housing, most can be easily fixed with putty, a two-part epoxy or a wet patch kit.

Some leaks just cannot be detected or repaired without the help of your local professional pool service company. With current pool leak detection technology, most leaks can be detected and repaired relatively easily and affordably, depending upon the location and complexity of the problem.

Posted on behalf of Somar Pools LLC

Hidden Pool Leaks

If your pool is equipped with an automatic pool filler and you have noticed that your water bills are unusually high and getting higher, you may have a leak in your pool or pool filtration system.  Higher water bills are to be expected in the summer months when the pool is open and being used heavily, but unexplained high water bills are often the first sign of a water leak that can be anywhere including in your water supply line, the plumbing inside your home, a leaky toilet tank, leaking irrigation system, or a leak in your pool.

Automatic pool fillers or water level controllers are wonderful devices that relieve pool owners from the hassle of constantly filling their pool.  Pools naturally lose water due to evaporation and from water splashed out of the pool, and water level controllers add water to keep the pool water at the right level which prevents damage to the pump and allows the skimmer and filter to work properly.

However, when the pool has an automatic water level controller the pool owner might not notice the water loss from a pool leak for months.  If you are looking for the source of a potential water leak, don’t forget the pool.  You can use a simple bucket test to check for pool leaks or contact a pool service that handles pool leak detection.

If you find a pool leak, have it fixed as soon as possible.  Pool leaks not only waste water, but you will also need to use more chemicals in the pool to keep it properly balanced.  In addition, pool leaks can cause erosion and damage to your foundation.

The Pool Leak Bucket Test

Some water loss from your swimming pool is normal.  Depending on where you live, a pool can lose half an inch of water per day or more to normal evaporation loss.  Water loss will be higher in hot, dry areas and some pool designs loose more water than others.  In addition, if the pool gets heavy use, especially from children, a surprisingly large amount of water can be splashed out of the pool.

A simple bucket test will tell you whether or not your pool is losing water.  Place a brick in a large bucket and put the bucket on a step in the pool so that about half of the bucket is above the water.  Fill the bucket with pool water so that the water level in the bucket and the pool are the same.

Turn off the automatic water filling device and the pool pump and refrain from using the pool for at least 24 hours.  Compare the water level in the bucket to the pool water level on the outside of the bucket.  If the pool water level is lower than the bucket water level, you have a pool leak and you need to call a good local pool repair service to find and repair it as soon as possible.

Pool leaks waste hundreds of gallons of water per week and drive up the cost of chemicals to keep the water clear and properly balanced.  They can also cause underground erosion that can damage your home’s foundation.  Don’t wait to repair pool leaks.