Swimming pool leak detection in Sussex, Surrey & London
A pool losing more than the local evaporation rate is losing it somewhere. The three candidates are the structure or liner, the fittings, and the buried circulation pipework, and each is tested differently. Draining the pool to look is both expensive and, on a liner pool, actively risky.
We start with a bucket test to separate genuine loss from evaporation, then isolate the circulation system with pressure testing to establish whether the loss is in the pipework or the vessel. Dye testing at fittings and along the shell finds structural breaches while the pool stays full.
Our approach
How we find swimming pool leaks
These are the methods we would normally work through on this kind of job, in this order, stopping as soon as the evidence agrees on one point.
- 1
Pressure and flow testing
We cap a section of pipework, raise it to a controlled test pressure and watch the gauge. A circuit that holds is eliminated; a circuit that drops is quantified. Repeating this system by system narrows a whole-house problem down to a single run, and gives a hard number for the report rather than an opinion.
- 2
Tracer dye testing
Ideal where several possible sources share the same wet patch. A shower tray, a waste trap and a heating pipe can all end up on the same ceiling; dosing them one at a time and watching where the dye emerges answers the question definitively rather than by elimination.
- 3
Acoustic leak correlation
A pressurised leak makes a continuous noise that travels along the pipe wall. Sensors placed either side of a suspected run measure the tiny difference in arrival time between them, and the correlator converts that into a distance. On a mains supply pipe this routinely gets us to within a foot of the fault.
- 4
Thermal imaging camera survey
Water moving where it should not changes the temperature of everything it touches. A thermal camera renders those differences as an image, so a leak under a solid floor shows up as a shape long before it shows up as a stain. It is completely passive: nothing is drilled, lifted or cut to take the reading.
What happens
Trace, access, repair, prove
The same four stages on every job, whether it is a weeping joint or a mains supply pipe under a driveway.
- 1
Trace
Non-invasive survey of the whole affected area. We rule systems out as well as in, because knowing what is not leaking is half the evidence.
- 2
Access
One opening, in the right place, as small as the job allows. Usually a borescope hole first, and a larger opening only if the repair needs it.
- 3
Repair
The fault fixed on the same visit wherever it can be, guaranteed for 12 months. Anything larger is quoted at a fixed price before we start.
- 4
Prove
The circuit re-pressurised and held, moisture readings taken again, and the whole job written up with dated photographs and calibrated readings.
Pricing
Published rates, no call-out fee
Charged by the half hour with a half an hour minimum, and no premium for an emergency. All prices exclude VAT at 20%.
- Weekdays7am – 6pm, Monday to Friday£54.00+ VAT
- Evenings & weekends6pm – 9pm weekdays, plus all day Saturday and Sunday£69.75+ VAT
- Late night9pm – 7am, every day£90.00+ VAT
Questions
Swimming pool leak detection: your questions
How much water loss is normal?
Evaporation alone can account for a few millimetres a day in warm weather, more if the pool is uncovered and exposed. A simple bucket test run alongside the pool separates evaporation from a genuine leak, and it is the first thing we do.
Do you need to drain the pool?
No. Pressure testing the pipework and dye testing the shell are both done with the pool full. Draining a liner pool without care can float the liner, so we avoid it.
Can you find a leak in the pipework under the paving?
Yes. Buried pool pipework is pressurised, which makes it a good candidate for acoustic detection, and we can pressure test each line separately to identify which one has failed before locating along it.
Related services
- Underground water leak detectionMains supply pipe leaks under drives, gardens and roads, located to within a foot before anyone lifts a spade.
- Leak repairFind and fix in one visit wherever possible, with the repair pressure tested and proved before we leave.
- Commercial leak detectionOffices, retail, hotels, schools, care homes and managed blocks, surveyed with minimum disruption to trading.
Swimming pool leak detection near you
We cover 74 towns, cities and boroughs across Sussex, Surrey and London.
Sussex
Need swimming pool leak detection?
Call 01273 936 030 for free advice, or book a survey online. No call-out fee, and we will tell you honestly if you do not need us.