How can I tell whether my pool is leaking or just evaporating?
Compare your pool with a bucket of pool water over the same period. If the pool drops noticeably more than the bucket, it is probably leaking.
The short answer
A bucket comparison usually gives a clear first answer. Sun and wind take water from every pool in Phuket, and overflow pools usually lose more than skimmer pools. Put a bucket on a pool step so it sits partly in the water, and fill it with pool water to roughly the pool's level. Mark both levels. Leave them for the same period, with nobody swimming and the automatic top-up off, then compare. Evaporation acts on both in much the same way, so a noticeably bigger drop in the pool usually points to a leak. If it rains, start again.
Signs worth noting
Repeat the comparison once with the pump running and once with it off. A difference between the two is a useful clue for whoever investigates. In our experience, water most often escapes through pool light fittings, because their conduits are frequently run through the shell instead of being brought up properly.
- The top-up runs all the time, or your water use rises
- Damp ground, soft patches or sinking paving near the pool
- Hollow tiles, cracks or water in the pump room
- The level always stops at the same point, such as just below a light fitting
What happens next
If the signs point to a leak, our leak repair and waterproofing service starts with an inspection of the pool, balance tank and plant room, with water in the pool. We use imported fluorescent leak-detection dye kits — adding dye near suspected points and tracing it with a special torch — and check the pipework, light fittings, construction joints and overflow level. We work through likely causes and test them, though we cannot promise to find every leak without excavation or opening parts of the structure. When a pool's history is unknown, not every hidden problem can be found at once, so repairs and restarts can proceed in stages.
What to send us for a first discussion
- Photos of the pool, the overflow, the balance tank and the pump room
- Your location in Phuket or elsewhere in Thailand
- How much the level drops with the pump on and off, and the result of the bucket comparison
- Any damp patches, hollow tiles or past repairs
Questions we are asked
Do I need to drain the pool for a leak inspection?
Usually not. Leak checks and fluorescent dye tests are done with water in the pool. Some repairs or further investigations then need the water lowered, the pool drained or parts of the structure opened.