Leaks occur over time even with the best pool maintenance routine. Water corrodes metal. Seasonal temperature changes expand and contract the pool walls. Liners become weakened with time and subsidence can happen unexpectedly.
There can be any number of reasons for a pool to start to leak its contents.
What To Expect From Normal Water Loss?
Depending on the weather, natural evaporation can reduce the water level by about 2 inches per week in the summertime. Of course, unless you carefully note the level from week to week, and top it up as required, that natural reduction in water volume can mask a leak.
A slow leak can exist for several months before it becomes noticeable. Especially if there are no obvious faults in the pool walls, tiled surfaces, or water pools forming in the pump area or beneath pipes.
Most Common Causes Of Leaks
In our experience, leaks are most frequently caused by:
- Frost or ice damage over winter – ice expands and can force any cracks to become even more serious in a very short space of time;
- Simple corrosion of metal pipes and joints, or ageing pump components;
- Rust in ladder brackets or other metal fixtures can result in cracks forming in the concrete;
- Root damage can take years to manifest itself and roots are incredibly strong and forceful enough to lift and crack house walls, never mind pool walls, piping, and decking.
Of course, the most common cause of all is simply old age. Materials deteriorate with the passage of time and the only solution is replacement and refurbishment.
Detecting And Locating A Leak
The simplest and fastest solution if you suspect a leak is to call in the experts. We have many tools and techniques to check for leakages and to narrow down the area where the leak is occurring until the exact location is identified.
Some people naturally prefer to carry out their own investigation first, either through natural inquisitiveness or through a desire to care for their equipment.
Establishing that a leak does actually exist is not always straightforward unless the extent of the leak makes it pretty obvious that something is wrong. You can check that the rate of evaporation from the pool is the same (or not) as the rate of evaporation from a bucket of water placed by the poolside simply by marking the levels of each on a daily basis. They should be more or less the same.
Identifying the location of the leak is difficult unless you yourself can actually see a very obvious cause or a pool of water where a pool of water should not be forming.
How To Reduce The Risk Of Leaks
Regular pool inspection and refurbishment are by far and away from the best approach to minimizing the risk of leaks and all the hassle and disruption that repairing leaks entails. Call in the professionals once a year, perhaps at the end of the season or at the start of spring. It’s the pool equivalent of having your car serviced annually or visiting the dentist for a check-up every six months. Not to do so is a false economy and the upside is both peace of mind about pool health and an assurance that you should expect a leak-free summer of total enjoyment. In the vast majority of cases, an annual inspection results in a clean bill of health. Any warning signs are identified and explained. Should the inspection detect a leak in progress, you have time to arrange a repair and refurb before the season starts.
Start Your Pool Health Regime Today
Whether or not you suspect a leak right now, it’s a very good idea to set up a regular routine for pool inspection by professionals.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as Benjamin Franklin once said, although there is no record of him enjoying a swimming pool on his property as far as we know. Call us to find out more on 01536 646007.
For a straightforward guide to pool maintenance and safety, please download our new free ebook: The Swimming Pool Safety & Maintenance Guide.
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