Over the years we have seen many pools that appear to be nearly new but contain a hidden secret. The surface is clean, the pump is operating properly, even the deck is in good shape. Underneath all of that are sometimes hundreds of feet of coper and/or PVC piping. This is where a lot of problems start.

A pool is designed to be a completely sealed vessel of water. The water balance depends on that. When even the smallest leaks appear below or above ground, the balance can be difficult to maintain. Generally the first sign of a water leak is when you notice your are having to fill your pool up frequently, even during the coldest months of the year when evaporation is at its lowest level. To complicate things even further you may have an automatic water level device which slowly replaces the water as needed without any intervention. Many homeowners may never know there is a leak.

Leaks in the pool will cause a number of chemical problems, but the first thing you will notice is an inability to maintain proper sanitizer levels. Most pools can go a week between sanitizer application, some even two or three weeks depending on the weather. If you are having to re-apply sanitizer more than once per week, you may have a leakage issue.

Another water parameter that is greatly affected by a leak is the alkalinity level. You will notice the TA (total alkalinity) will be un-balanced even after balancing it perfectly a few days prior. The fresh water being added to the pool constantly will cause the pool to gradually match the TA of the fresh water. In most areas of the country, the TA of fresh water is below that which pool owners want. This means adding Alkalinity Up chemicals.

Over time, this small leak in your pool can cost you a lot of money. And your pool service person may end up charging you extra for them due to the extreme cost of maintaining a leaking pool.

There are a couple of ways to try and repair a leak. There are liquid "fix a leak" type chemicals that can be applied directly to your pool in hopes that it will contain the leak. The liquids work well with pressure side leaks that are less than 1/8" large. Your other option is to hire a leak detection service which will come out and use specialize equipment to try andlocate the leak. At that point you would normally dig the leaking section out and replace it.

So if you notice your are having to add a lot of water to your pool do not just assume it is from evaporation, it could be from a leak.