Is Your Pool Losing Water? Plano & Dallas, TX Pool Leak Testing

Written by Steven Shipler, Texas Licensed Master Plumber and Responsible Master Plumber, Texas License #45825.

If your swimming pool keeps losing water, the first challenge is determining whether the loss is caused by normal evaporation or an active leak.

During the Texas summer, swimming pools in Plano and Dallas can lose water because of heat, low humidity, wind, direct sunlight, water features, swimmers, splash-out, and backwashing. However, when you must repeatedly add water just to maintain the normal operating level, the pool should be tested.

Pool water can escape through the equipment, shell, skimmer, light niche, drains, return fittings, attached spa, water features, or underground plumbing lines. Several of these problems can produce similar symptoms, which is why guessing often leads to repairs in the wrong area.

How Much Pool Water Loss Is Normal?

There is no single amount of water loss that is normal for every swimming pool.

Evaporation depends on:

• Air temperature
• Water temperature
• Humidity
• Wind speed
• Direct sunlight
• Pool surface area
• Fountains and waterfalls
• Heated spas
• Number of swimmers
• Splash-out and backwashing

A large uncovered pool with moving water can lose more to evaporation than a smaller covered pool. That is why the correct question is not simply, “How many inches did the pool lose?”

The better question is:

Is the pool losing water faster than a controlled comparison under the same weather conditions?

Start With a Pool Bucket Test

A bucket-style comparison test can help determine whether the pool is losing more water than normal evaporation would explain.

The basic idea is to place a container of pool water on a pool step or ledge so the water inside the container experiences similar heat, sunlight, humidity, and wind.

Mark the starting level inside the bucket and mark the pool level outside the bucket. After a controlled period, compare the two changes.

If the pool level drops significantly more than the water inside the bucket, an active pool leak becomes more likely.

Signs Your Pool May Have an Active Leak

Common warning signs include:

• The pool needs water added several times each week
• The autofill runs continuously or more often than normal
• The water level drops faster than the bucket comparison
• The pool loses more water while the pump is running
• The pool loses more water while the pump is off
• Air enters the pump or return system
• The pump repeatedly loses prime
• Wet soil appears near the deck or equipment
• Cracks appear around the skimmer or tile line
• The water level stops dropping at a particular fitting
• The pool requires additional chemicals because of constant refilling
• There are unexplained changes in the surrounding deck or soil

One symptom alone does not always prove a leak. Several symptoms occurring together should be investigated.

Does the Pool Lose More Water When the Pump Runs?

A pool that loses more water while the pump is running may have a problem on the pressurized side of the circulation system.

Possible causes include:

• A leaking return line
• A damaged underground return fitting
• A leaking water-feature line
• A leaking spa return or therapy-jet line
• A pump, filter, heater, or valve leak
• A leaking backwash or waste line
• A cracked union or equipment fitting

When the pump runs, the return-side plumbing is placed under pressure. A small damaged joint can release significantly more water during circulation than when the system is off.

Does the Pool Lose Water When the Pump Is Off?

Water loss that continues when the circulation system is off may point toward a different group of problems.

Possible causes include:

• A pool shell crack
• A leaking skimmer
• A pool light niche or conduit leak
• A main drain fitting or suction-line leak
• A leak below the normal standing water level
• An attached spa equalization issue
• A damaged fitting or penetration in the pool shell

These observations help create a testing direction, but they do not replace professional isolation and pressure testing.

Why a Texas Master Plumber Should Perform the Testing

Pool leak detection is not simply a visual inspection.

The tester must understand water pressure, suction, circulation, valves, underground pipe routing, isolation methods, test plugs, gauges, fittings, pumps, equipment, and repair planning.

A responsible Master Plumber will not perform one uncertain pressure test and immediately recommend concrete cutting.

The suspected line should be isolated, tested, monitored, and tested again. The plugs, gauges, hoses, valve positions, and test fittings must also be checked to make sure the test setup itself is not leaking.

Our Pool Leak Testing Process

Where Swimming Pools Commonly Leak

Tools Used During Pool Leak Detection

1. Professional Pool Pressure-Test Equipment

Pressure plugs, gauges, hoses, test manifolds, and isolation fittings are used to determine whether individual plumbing lines maintain pressure.

2. Electronic Geophone and Acoustic Listening Equipment

Electronic listening equipment can amplify the sound of air or water escaping from an underground pool plumbing line.

3. Dye and Visual Inspection Equipment

Dye syringes, inspection lights, mirrors, cameras, and plugs help evaluate pool shell cracks, skimmers, lights, drains, returns, and fittings.

Why the Wet Area May Not Be the Actual Leak

Water moving underground follows the path of least resistance.

It can travel through gravel, loose soil, plumbing trenches, expansion joints, backfill, and voids beneath the pool deck.

A wet spot can appear several feet away from the damaged pipe.

I have seen situations where the surface moisture suggested one location, but repeated pressure testing and acoustic evidence pointed to a different area.

Cutting where the ground looks wet can create unnecessary demolition without exposing the failed pipe.

Plano, Dallas and Richardson Pool Leak Testing

Plano pools often include attached spas, multiple return lines, wide decks, modern water features, and mature landscaping.

Dallas properties may have older pool plumbing, remodeled equipment systems, deep lots, large decks, fountains, and several pumps.

Richardson pools may have original skimmers, older underground lines, aging fittings, and previous repairs that were never documented.

The city changes the pool layout, but it does not change the correct testing standard:

1. Confirm abnormal water loss.
2. Inspect the equipment.
3. Inspect the shell and fittings.
4. Identify the plumbing circuits.
5. Isolate and pressure test each suspected line.
6. Repeat failed tests.
7. Use electronic location when appropriate.
8. Begin repair only after the evidence is reliable.

Plano and Dallas Service Area Maps

You Receive a Certified Master Plumber Report

A dependable pool leak inspection should produce more than a verbal guess.

Lone Star Leak Locators provides a Certified Master Plumber Report documenting the testing performed and the findings.

The report may include:

• The pool systems inspected
• The plumbing lines tested
• The pressure-test results
• Whether failed tests were repeated
• The probable leaking system
• The approximate leak location when identified
• Limitations affecting the test
• The recommended repair starting point

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Frequently Asked Questions