Water Supply Line Leaks
There are sometimes leaks between the meter and the home, in the water supply line. These leaks are often difficult to detect because the supply pipe is usually buried at least 3 feet below the ground surface. Sometimes the leaking water will travel along the pipe, back to the meter. If the meter box contains water, and the water is not due to rain or irrigation run-off, this may indicate a leak in the supply line. Another common exit point for the leaking water might be where the supply line rises above the ground and/or enters the house. If the soil is constantly damp at these locations this might indicate a leak. In cases of severe leaks, the water will seep up towards the ground surface, usually directly above the path of the underground pipe. Most often, leaks between the meter and the house are the responsibility of the homeowner leaks from the meter or pipes leading from the main to the meter are the responsibility of the water utility. The water utility should be contacted before any attempt to repair the water supply pipe. If the utility deems the leak to be the responsibility of the homeowner, a professional plumber should perform all repair work. This repair should never be attempted by a homeowner.
How To Find A Leak In Your Swimming Pool
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It’s natural for your pool to lose some water to evaporation, some to splash out, and some to backwashing your filter. But if you routinely need to add more than two inches of water to your pool per week, you may have a leak. Uh oh, right? Not so fast. Before you call the local pool tech, give your pool a once-over and determine whether you can’t fix it yourself.
Confirm The Leakthe Bucket Method
If youre not 100% sure that you have a leak, there is a test you can perform to provide certainty before beginning the task of locating the leak.
Fill your plastic bucket with pool water, leaving a few inches at the top. Place the bucket on a step in the pool so that the pool water level is about two-thirds up the outside of the bucket. Use a permanent marker to mark the water levels inside and outside the bucket.Ensure that no one swims in your pool for 24 hours and keep an eye on the sky for any rain. After 24 hours, check the water levels.
If the pool level has decreased by the same amount as the bucket level, you may be in leak-free luck. Conduct the test again just to be sure your dog didnt drink from the bucket or pool and then put your feet up and enjoy a structurally sound pool.
If the pool water level has dropped more than the bucket, you have a leak. Read on for your step-by-step guide to pinpointing pool leaks.
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What Happens After The Water Is Treated
So your water flows through all kinds of pipes to the wastewater treatment plant where it is treated, cleaned, and made safe to be reentered into the environment and local bodies of water . The treated water could go on to become drinking water, it may be used to irrigate crops, it could help sustain aquatic life, and it can even end up back in your shower where we started.
We treat your drains with the same care wed take with our own. Thats why were The Picky People’s Plumber. We offer a drain service guarantee that your water lines wont stop up after a visit from us for at least 5 years, 5 months, and 5 days ! If you’re having trouble with your drains and are looking for help, give us a call at Kens Plumbing! You can reach us by phone anytime at 242-5511 or can contact us online to schedule service.
How To Find Leaks In Your Pool
Leak detection in swimming pools is a step-by-step process of elimination among 4 main areas the Pool Shell, Pool Lights, Pool Plumbing and the Pool Equipment. Lets dive right in, shall we?
To find a pool leak, the first place to inspect is around your filter and pump. Do you notice any water spots or damp areas there? If so, try to trace back where the water is coming from. Very often, it will be a connection on one of the pipes in this particular area. You may need to turn on the pump for a while and observe it to see if any leaks develop while everything is running. However, a small drip on the pump or filter will not amount to much, and is likely not noticeable in the pool level.
In order to determine whether or not the leak in the pool is in the plumbing or in the shell of the pool, you would isolate the plumbing. This means to plug all the holes in the pool. Plug the skimmer and the return fittings, cleaner fittings, vacuum lines, main drain with expandable freeze plugs or threaded plugs.
If no obvious leaks can be found in the plumbing, then perhaps the leak is in the shell of the pool itself. If your pool is gunite, your plaster whitecoat is the water proof layer over top of concrete. Much tougher than a vinyl liner.
Leaks in your Pool Shell
Fiberglass pools can also leak through a crack in the shell like a concrete pool, or leaks in the skimmer, return, drain or light faceplates.
Leaks in the Pool Skimmer
Leaks in the Pool Light
Leaks in your Pool Plumbing
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Re: Main Drain Weird Major Leakplease Help
Postby Coops»Mon 21 Jan, 2019 14:31
- Posts: 2274
- Joined: Tue 06 Sep, 2011 05:48
- My Pool: 10k inground fibreglass, Telescopic Cover, Hayward Powerline pump, Quality filter with glass media, 27kw output heat pump, K-2006C test kit
- Location: United Kingdom
Postby Denniswiseman»Tue 22 Jan, 2019 03:13
- Posts: 1337
- Joined: Tue 17 Oct, 2017 10:52
- My Pool: 12 x 24 liner pool, Triton TR60 filter with AFM glass media and variable speed pump running 0.08HP
- Location: UK
What Is Causing This And Can It Be Fixed
This canbe fixed! The cause is what is known as a check valve. There may be either an existing check valve installed that needs replacing or no check valve at all. This valve uses a spring inside it to allow the water to flow in only one direction. When the pump shuts off, water cannot flow back through the pool returns, which prevents the spa from equalizing and allow it to remain full. The parts inside of the valve can become worn over time, and in turn, cause it not to seal correctly after the pump and filter system times out. In this case, the check valve will need to be replaced.
“Check Valve”
Rob Hampton
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Pool Is Losing Water After Frequent Use
You might also just be losing water because youve been using your pool more. Lots of splashing around can force water onto your deck and into the air. If you only notice a drop in water level after a week of heavy pool use, there might not be a problem at all. If your filtration system requires backwashing maintenance, youre going to lose water during the process. Have you or your pool service company switched to a more frequent backwashing schedule? Is it time to replace your filter?
How To Tell If Your Inground Pool Light Is Leaking
If you are having trouble keeping your inground pool water level at an ideal level, you need to check for a leak. You will know your pool light is leaking if the pool water has dropped to the level around the top of the light. The water level may be below the skimmer bottom or the return line, but if it stopped leaking when it reached the light that is a red flag.
The conduit pipe is not sealed to the light fixture mounting or niche. The can or container holding the light is usually sealed tight with a waterproof gasket. It can slide in and out of the niche created to hold it in many pools. Water can get into the hole that carries the conduit. This is often a slow leak.
Most frames holding the light can and lens cover are attached with screws that can be easily removed if it is necessary to change the light bulb. The frame must be attached to the pool wall very tightly to prevent leaks. LED lights are highly recommended since they last much longer and burn cooler than conventional incandescent lights, including the type designed for underwater use.
LED lighting is more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs because they can last up to 10 times longer. LED bulbs are also much brighter than standard halogen or fluorescent lamps without mercury. This means there’s no need to worry about disposing of old bulbs in landfills.
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My Pool Is Only Losing Water When My Pump Is Running
Okay, picture it You walk out to your pool and notice that the water level is lower than normal. So, you play around with the filter and valves and add more water. A few days go by and you notice the water level is low again. Suddenly, it hits you, My pool is only losing water when my pump is running.
Great.
As the pool expert you are, you know that its not ideal not to have your pump running. Though, what you dont know is why your pool is only losing water when the pump is running.
Lets dig a little further
Return Jet/ Return Jet Fittings
Other areas to check are your returns and return jet fittings. Often times, when installing a new liner, a leak can form around one of the fittings. Although it isnt supposed to happen, installers can make mistakes while installing a new liner, making it difficult to identify.
We also recommend walking around the perimeter of your pool to check for wet spots or small puddles of water. Locating a soft or wet spot in your yard might help to identify the source and location of your leak.
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Leaks In The Pool Plumbing Or Equipment
Leaks in the Plumbing. Its rare, but if you determine that the leak is in the pool lines you now have to determine which pipe is leaking. You can plug off the skimmer and run the pool on the main drain only, or the other way around, in a process of elimination.
If the pool stops leaking when all of the lines are plugged, you can remove plugs, one by one, from skimmer, main drain and return lines, to see if the leak starts again. With the pump not running, leaks in a return line will slow down, and sometimes stop leaking all together, whereas on a skimmer or main drain line, they may leak more when the pump is off. Sometimes, a skimmer or main drain leak will draw air into the pump, while the pump is running.
Leaks in underground pipes are rare, but they do happen. To determine which line it is , a process of elimination can be used to isolate different lines. Pressure testing individual pipes can determine with certainty which pipe is leaking. Sometimes it is easier to replace the line which is bad rather than trying to pinpoint the exact location.
Patching Pool Leaks: Small tears or rips up to several inches in length can be patched with a vinyl patch kit, or you can use a flexible liquid sealer, that squeezes out of a tube. Small leaks in vinyl liners or pipes can be fixed using Fix-A-Leak.
This process of elimination can take many days, so boost up your chlorine level and brush and skim the pool each day to maintain the water quality.
What Can Happen If Water Gets Behind The Pool Liner
While its possible for some moisture to get behind your pool liner during normal use, a leak behind the liner \more often causes water issues. Pool liner leaks should never be ignored, no matter how minor, because water behind the liner can lead to damaged walls and equipment, and it can affect the quality of your pool water.
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Do You Need To Drain Your Pool
Most cities do not allow pool water to be drained into the street and storm drain. These eventually drain into washes and rivers.
Sometimes, it is necessary to drain your pool. If so, you must drain your pool water into your yard or the sewer clean-out. Remember the motto, Only rain in the storm drain.
If your home or property does not have a sewer clean-out, you must drain it slowly enough so it remains in your yard. You MAY NOT drain your pool into the street, alley, or neighboring properties. You can, however, safely use pool water to irrigate salt-tolerant plants in your landscape like Bermuda grass, oleander, and natal plum.
Backwash water may contain chlorine, bromine, algaecides, biocides, water conditioners, stabilizers, and other chemicals. When these chemicals are deposited into the storm drains, they make their way to dry washes and stream beds and eventually end up in urban lakes and streams. And they are toxic to fish and other aquatic life. Backwashing and draining your pool the correct way can minimize the impact of pool backwash and prevent pollutants from entering our waterways.
More details on how to care for your pool can be found at these suggested links from the Water Use It Wisely resources page:
Some Leaks Occur Out Of Plain Sight
A lot of leaks that we find occur in the underground plumbing of the pool. It takes extensive training to really know how to locate a leak in a broken pipe underground that cant be seen. Specific equipment is necessary in order to locate the exact location of the pool leak. This is why its important to contact professionals when dealing with pool leaks who know the ins and outs of leak detection. Keep in mind that not just any pool guy can do proper leak detection. Our techs go through months of training and are required to know more about pools than the average pool tech does.
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You Can Do Your Part To Protect The Environment
Consider these options to prevent pollutants from entering our waterways:
- Use the backwash to water grass or any area on your property that will allow water to percolate into the ground.
- Many southwest homes already have salt-tolerant plants. Check out this website for more information:
The Ultimate Guide To Finding & Fixing A Swimming Pool Leak
- |November 28, 2018
We all know swimming pools get wounded from time to time, but that doesnt make fixing an unexpected leak any less hassle, right?
Fortunately, there is a way to make fixing your pool a surprisingly quick and painless process, so you can get it patched up and ready for swimming again in no time.
In this article, Ill cover the exact steps you need to take in order to identify and fix a leak for both inground and above ground pools.
Skip to:
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Wait 24 Hours & Check Results
Once everything is in place, its just a case of keeping your pool running under normal conditions for about a day. If, after 24 hours, the pool water level has decreased by the same amount as the bucket water level, you do not have a leak. However, if the pool water level has decreased more than the bucket water level, you probably have a leak.
Whole House Humidifier Leaks
Some homes have whole house humidifiers, most common in homes with forced-air central heating systems. This humidifier is usually attached to the furnace ducting and directly plumbed to the water supply pipes to provide constant water supply to the appliance’s water reservoir. The equipment often includes an overflow drain to the sewer in case the refill valve fails to close. When the valve does fail, the water is sent directly into the sewer. This allows leaks to occur for months or years before anyone realizes the water waste. It is important to check the operation of this equipment regularly during the heating season, and turn off the water supply to the equipment during seasons of non-use.
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Watch For Signs Of Leaks
Do you know the signs to watch for in terms of a pool leak? Be wary of the following, and talk to your pool service professional to learn more:
