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Swimming Pool Leak Detection & Repairs. Sunshine Coast to Brisbane & Surrounds
Hydrostatic and pneumatic pressure testing, electro-acoustic leak location and dye testing — we find the leak, prove where it is, and repair it.
Is Your Pool Leak Draining Your Wallet?
A leaking pool, if left unchecked or unnoticed, can lead to expensive repairs far beyond the initial leak. Continually adding water and adjusting pH levels will no doubt be the least of your problems. If your leak is serious enough, it has the potential to undermine the supporting material beneath the pool structure, which can result in a host of unwanted outcomes including: cracks to the pool structure itself, erosion of soil causing pool decking to sink, cracked underground pipe fittings and concrete due to movement, damage to the lawn, gardens and more. When calculating the true cost of a pool leak, it can really add up.
Did you know a pin-hole leak can waste 3,500 litres a day — about three times the water a family of four consumes each day.
To put that into perspective:
| Water Supply | Per Day | Per Week | Per Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town Water | $12.25 | $85.75 | $637.00 |
| Tank Water | $63.00 | $441.00 | $22,995.00 |
Town Water Supply: calculated off $3.50 per kilolitre. Tank Water Supply: calculated off $180 per 10,000L water truck load. Average water usage per person, per day: approximately 380L. Town water cost includes QLD state bulk water price and distributor price.
If your pool is leaking water, don’t delay. Give us a call — 1300 851 842.
We Detect Swimming Pool Leaks Fast!
Testing a pool for leaks is a staged process, and each stage rules something out. We confirm the pool is genuinely losing water rather than evaporating, isolate the structure from the plumbing, pressure test every line individually, and only then bring out the acoustic gear to pin-point the exact position of the leak before anything is dug up or cut open.
Confirm the loss is a leak
The bucket test separates a real leak from evaporation. Environmental conditions — sun, wind, ambient and water temperature, humidity — change evaporation rates dramatically, and a surprising number of “pool leaks” turn out to be a hot, windy week.
Visual and dye testing
Close visual inspection of the pool structure, plumbing lines, filter, heater and chlorinator, then dye testing of skimmer boxes, return lines and light fittings to identify any leak drawing water at the shell.
Hydrostatic pressure testing
Every line is isolated and pressure tested independently — return, suction, auto-cleaner, in-floor cleaner, waterfall, vacuum and air lines — so a failing line is identified rather than assumed.
Pneumatic testing and electro-acoustic location
Where the hydrostatic test confirms a pressure drop, that line is pressurised with air and traced with electro-acoustic listening equipment until the escaping gas is heard at a single point. That point is marked on the surface, so excavation is targeted to within centimetres.
Repair
Cracked shells, failed penetrations, perished seals and broken pipework are repaired, and where waterproofing is involved the work is carried out under our QBCC waterproofing licence.
Where pool leaks hide
- Skimmer box throats and their connection to the shell
- Return and suction lines under decking and paving
- Light fittings, conduits and pool cleaner ports
- Cracks in the shell, floor and step junctions
What we hand back
- Which line or feature is leaking, and which are sound
- The leak position marked on the surface
- Photographs and test results in a written report
- A repair price for the defect we found
Swimming Pool Leak Detection FAQ’s
How much does a pool leak check cost?
Our “Essentials” Leak Detection Package is just $450 (+GST) and includes:
- Hydrostatic pressure testing of return, suction lines, auto-cleaner lines, in-floor cleaner lines, waterfall lines, vacuum lines, air lines etc.
- Close visual inspection of the pool structure, plumbing lines, filter, heater, chlorinator etc.
- Dye testing of skimmer boxes, return lines, light fittings etc.
If the hydrostatic pressure test confirms a drop in pressure on any line, we will then carry out a pneumatic pressure test and pin-point the leak location with our electro-acoustic listening equipment.
Our “Essentials Add-on” Leak Detection Package is an additional $250 (+GST) and includes:
- Pneumatic pressure testing of all lines with confirmed pressure loss from the Essentials leak detection package.
- Trace lines using the electro-acoustic listening equipment to locate the leak location.
How can I reduce the overall cost?
Finding a pool leak can have its fair share of challenges and is not always as straight forward as you’d expect. The process of testing a pool for leaks is one that takes time and must be completed in stages.
The first step in leak testing any swimming pool is to figure out if the pool is actually leaking. A surprising amount of “pool leaks” are actually just periods where the water is evaporating quickly due to environmental conditions. If you are new to owning a pool then you will not be familiar with evaporation rates or what you should consider as normal evaporation rates for your pool. The actual amount of water that your pool will lose to evaporation will be unique to your pool. Factors such as your geographic location, ambient temperature, water temperature, direct sunlight and cross winds will all have an effect on your evaporation rates, as will whether you use a solar blanket cover at night.
If you suspect you have a pool leak, the very first thing you can do to confirm this is carry out the Bucket Test. This test is one that can be easily carried out by the pool owner to save time, and a service fee from the leak detection specialist. There are many videos on YouTube demonstrating the bucket test, but the basic instructions are listed below.
- Using an open top container such as a plastic juice pitcher, you will sit the container inside of the pool such that it is partially filled with water. Our preferred method is to use rocks in the bottom of the container and then sit the container on a stair or ladder step such that part of the container is below water level and part is above.
- You then add water into the container until the water inside the container and the water level in the pool are exactly the same.
- Wait 24 hours and then check to see if the water level in the pool is lower than the water level in the container. The difference between the two would be the rate of water loss in your pool. If you do this test and the water level in the pool always matches the water level in the container then you do not have a leak in your pool — your water loss is a result of evaporation. Using a solar blanket at night over the pool will dramatically reduce how much water your pool loses through evaporation.
Note: When you are doing the bucket test it would be a smart idea to record the weather patterns during this time period. The outside temperature (at both day and night) as well as cloud cover (direct sunlight the pool gets) as well as the amount of wind that you have. Most importantly you need to note if it rained or not, as rain will likely invalidate your test results.
How can I test for leaks myself?
If you suspect a leak, there are a couple of fast and easy DIY ways to confirm. Some tests below are simple, while others are a bit more complex.
Dye Test
A dye test is best to use if you see a tear in your liner or a visible crack in your pool. Dye tests can be found at your local pool or home and garden store. You can also use a dye test to test areas such as screws, fittings, skimmers, or any other area at a higher risk of a leak. Have everyone exit the pool, turn off the pool equipment, and wait until the water is calm. Then slowly apply a small yet visible amount of dye directly to the suspected area. What you are looking to see is if the dye remains and gradually dissipates — or if it is sucked into the suspected area.
Bucket Test
All you need for a bucket test is a clean empty bucket, a heavy rock or brick, and duct tape. You will need to perform the bucket test when it is not raining, and when the pool will not be used for 24 hours. If possible, select a day that is not particularly humid.
Pressure Test
A pressure test is more complex, but it is possible to do it yourself with the proper tools. Each line has to be isolated and plugged at both ends, brought up to pressure and watched over time, and a line that will not hold pressure then has to be traced to find where it is losing it. In practice this is the point at which most pool owners call us in — the testing gear, the plugs and the acoustic equipment needed to locate the failure are specialised, and a mis-read pressure test sends an excavator to the wrong end of the yard.
What equipment do you use to detect pool leaks?
Highpoint Solutions have invested in excess of $100,000 in specialised leak detection equipment, including:
- Electro-acoustic listening device (Sewerin A200 Pro)
- FLIR T660 thermal imaging camera
- Hydrostatic and pneumatic pressure testing equipment
- Leak Trac 2400 for vinyl lined and fibreglass pools
- Omni & uni-directional hydrophones & pipe-mics
- Pipe and cable locating devices to locate underground pipes and electrical cabling
- Microwave moisture detection equipment
- CCTV inspection cameras with dye injectors
10 signs that you may have a pool leak.
- Pool loses more water than regular evaporation
- Pool has air in the system
- Broken fittings
- Rust forming around skimmer and return ports
- Holes in liner that have been patched
- There are soggy spots around the pool
- Cracks in pool floor
- You add water more than once a week
- Pool deck is sinking or lifting
- Equipment loses prime
Electro-acoustic Water Leak Detection
When it comes to detecting leaks in underground or internal wall water pipes, Highpoint Solutions should be your first point of call. Our best-in-class acoustic measuring technology, coupled with intelligent analysis functions, allows us to pin-point any below-surface water leak with extreme accuracy, safety and reliability.
- Detection of leaks in water pipe networks
- Swimming pool leak detection
- Underground water leaks (gardens, concrete slabs, driveways, paved surfaces)
- Water mains & fire mains
- Internal water leaks under tiles, concrete, bathrooms, internal walls, kitchens
- Moisture ingress and water leaks caused from rain
Pool leak detection packages
Common questions
Do I need to do the bucket test before you come out?
It is not compulsory, but it is the cheapest 24 hours you will ever spend. It confirms the pool is genuinely losing water rather than evaporating, and it tells us roughly how fast — which shapes where we look first.
Does the pool need to be emptied?
No. Pressure testing, dye testing and electro-acoustic tracing are all carried out with the pool full. Emptying a pool to look for a leak risks floating the shell and rarely reveals anything the tests would not.
How accurate is the acoustic location?
On a pressurised line, close enough to mark a spot on the surface and dig one hole rather than trench the yard. That is the whole point of pressurising the line with air first — escaping gas is far louder to the acoustic gear than escaping water.
Can you repair the leak once you find it?
Yes. We repair pipework, fittings, penetrations and shell cracks, and any waterproofing element is carried out under our QBCC waterproofing licence (Cert III CPC31411).
Which areas do you service?
Sunshine Coast to Brisbane and surrounds, from our base at Eumundi. Regional Queensland is serviced on request.
Pool leak detection is one part of our wider leak detection service. For water showing up inside a building rather than around a pool, see building water leak detection & moisture ingress, or contact us and we will tell you which method suits your situation.