Commercial Pool Leak Detection in Arlington, TX: Separated Skimmer Pipe Located with Pressure Testing & Acoustic Leak Detection

Lone Star Leak Locators provides residential and commercial swimming pool leak detection throughout Arlington, Dallas, Plano, and surrounding North Texas communities. Testing is performed under the direction of Steven Shipler, Texas Licensed Master Plumber and Responsible Master Plumber, Texas Master Plumber License #45825.

This commercial hotel swimming pool in Arlington, Texas was losing water, but the source of the leak was hidden underground beneath the pool deck. There was no visible broken pipe from the surface, and the pool had multiple plumbing systems that first had to be isolated and tested.

The final diagnosis revealed a separated underground pipe connection associated with the skimmer plumbing.

The Problem: A Hotel Swimming Pool Losing Water

Commercial swimming pools may contain multiple skimmers, return lines, suction lines, main drains, valves, underground PVC fittings, and other plumbing circuits.

When a pool is losing water, the first challenge is determining whether the problem is in the pool shell, the equipment, or one of the underground plumbing systems.

At this Arlington hotel, there was no visible underground failure from the surface. That meant the plumbing needed to be isolated and tested before excavation could begin.

Step 1: Isolating the Skimmer Plumbing

The pool plumbing was separated into individual sections so the suspected leaking circuit could be identified.

Other pool systems were evaluated and eliminated as the likely leak source at the time of testing.

The evidence increasingly pointed toward the skimmer plumbing.

Once the skimmer circuit became the primary suspect, we began a series of controlled pressure tests.

Step 2: Pressurizing the Line with Air

The first test involved placing the isolated skimmer line under controlled air pressure.

When an underground PVC plumbing line is intact, the isolated line should maintain test pressure within the limits of the procedure.

Pressure loss provided evidence that air was escaping somewhere within the isolated section.

Air testing also provides an important acoustic advantage. Compressed air escaping underground can produce a sound that sensitive listening equipment can detect.

Step 3: Testing the Skimmer Line with Water

The plumbing was then tested using water.

Water escaping from a damaged underground fitting can create vibration and sound as it moves into the surrounding soil.

This also allows the plumbing to be evaluated under conditions more similar to normal pool operation.

Step 4: Combining Water and Air

One of the most useful techniques on this project was introducing a combination of water and air into the leaking plumbing circuit.

When air travels through water and escapes through a failed underground pipe connection, it can create bubbling, turbulence, vibration, and a stronger acoustic signal.

That signal can make a difficult underground pool leak easier to identify with electronic listening equipment.

Step 5: Acoustic Leak Detection with a Geophone

Once the skimmer plumbing was confirmed to be losing pressure, we used a sensitive electronic geophone system to listen across the pool deck.

A geophone amplifies underground sound and vibration.

Instead of randomly selecting an area to excavate, we moved systematically across the suspected pipe route and compared the sound response at different locations.

The strongest acoustic signal was associated with the underground skimmer plumbing.

The combination of pressure-test results and geophone readings substantially narrowed the repair location before excavation began.

Excavating the Suspected Repair Area

Once the repair area had been narrowed, the pool deck was opened and the soil was excavated to expose the underground plumbing.

The photographs from this project show the size of the excavation required alongside the hotel pool.

Soil had to be removed and a trench created to reach the suspected underground pipe route.

This is exactly why accurate pool leak locating matters.

If the leak had been incorrectly located, a large amount of concrete and soil could have been removed in the wrong area.

Final Finding: Separated Skimmer Pipe

After excavation, the diagnostic findings were physically confirmed.

The underground skimmer plumbing contained a separated pipe connection.

The pipe had pulled apart at the connection, creating a direct path for pool water to escape into the surrounding soil.

This type of failure is normally impossible to see from the surface because the plumbing is buried beneath the pool deck and soil.

The purpose of the leak detection process was therefore not to see the broken pipe before digging.

The purpose was to gather enough evidence to determine where to dig.

Why Skimmer Leaks Can Be Difficult to Diagnose

Skimmer leaks can occur in several different areas, including:

• The skimmer body
• The skimmer throat
• The skimmer-to-pipe connection
• Underground PVC elbows
• PVC couplings
• Tee fittings
• Straight sections of PVC pipe
• Connections shared between multiple skimmers

In this Arlington project, the problem was not visible inside the pool.

It was buried underground and required isolation, pressure testing, and acoustic locating before excavation.

Why We Used Multiple Testing Methods

Difficult swimming pool leaks are often better diagnosed by combining multiple types of evidence.

Why Acoustic Pool Leak Detection Matters

Knowing that a skimmer line is leaking is important, but it does not automatically tell you where the underground failure is located.

A skimmer pipe may run several feet or more beneath concrete before it reaches the equipment area or another fitting.

Without acoustic locating, a repair crew may still face a large area of deck where the pipe could be broken.

That can become expensive quickly.

• Concrete may need to be saw-cut
• Soil must be excavated
• Pool operations can be interrupted
• Deck surfaces eventually need restoration
• Commercial customers may experience extended downtime

The better objective is not simply:

“The skimmer line is leaking.”

The better objective is:

“The skimmer line is leaking, and the strongest diagnostic evidence places the underground failure in this specific repair area.”

Commercial Pool Leak Detection Requires a Systematic Approach

Hotel swimming pools can contain more complex plumbing than many residential pools.

Commercial systems may include multiple skimmers, drains, returns, pumps, valves, water features, and long underground plumbing runs.

Downtime also matters.

A hotel pool is an amenity for guests, so unnecessary demolition or an incorrect leak location can increase the time the pool remains unavailable.

That makes systematic diagnosis especially important.

What the Project Photos Document

The photographs from this Arlington hotel pool project document several phases of the leak detection and repair process:

• The commercial pool lowered for access
• Large-scale excavation beside the pool
• The trench following the underground plumbing route
• Pressure testing equipment
• Pool leak diagnostic equipment
• The exposed underground skimmer plumbing
• The separated pipe connection
• The repair area identified after acoustic locating

Together, the photographs show the complete sequence:

Test • Isolate • Pressurize • Listen • Locate • Excavate • Confirm

Why Accurate Leak Detection Can Reduce Unnecessary Demolition

This project reinforces one of the main principles we use at Lone Star Leak Locators:

No underground leak-detection method can eliminate every unknown.

But systematic isolation, pressure testing, and electronic acoustic locating can significantly reduce the search area before excavation begins.

That can mean less unnecessary concrete removal, less excavation, less restoration, and a more focused repair.

Final Diagnosis

The commercial swimming pool leak investigation confirmed an underground separated pipe connection in the skimmer plumbing system.

The leaking circuit was isolated and tested with air, water, and a combination of water and air.

Electronic geophone equipment was then used to listen for the underground release of air and water and identify the strongest acoustic location.

Excavation at the suspected repair site physically confirmed the separated pipe.

This Arlington hotel project is a strong real-world example of how professional commercial pool leak detection works when the actual plumbing failure is hidden underground.

Commercial & Residential Pool Leak Detection

Lone Star Leak Locators provides residential and commercial swimming pool leak detection throughout Arlington and the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Services may include:

• Pool plumbing isolation
• Skimmer line pressure testing
• Return line pressure testing
• Main drain testing
• Underground PVC leak locating
• Air pressure testing
• Water pressure testing
• Water-and-air acoustic testing
• Electronic geophone leak detection
• Pool dye testing
• Commercial swimming pool diagnostics
• Written Master Plumber findings

About Lone Star Leak Locators

Steven Shipler
Texas Licensed Master Plumber / Responsible Master Plumber
Texas Master Plumber License #45825

Lone Star Leak Locators
Commercial & Residential Leak Detection
Arlington • Dallas • Plano • North Dallas • DFW
972-333-5448