Pool leak repair and waterproofing

Finding where your pool is losing water

Before breaking any tiles or concrete, we inspect the pool, balance tank and pump room. We establish whether water is escaping through the shell, the fittings, the overflow or the buried pipework. 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 above water level.

We do everything we can to find the cause by working through likely faults and testing them, but we cannot promise to find every leak. Sometimes a leak cannot be pinpointed 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 may proceed in stages.

• Evaporation-versus-leak comparisons and water-level checks with the pump on and off
• Testing with imported fluorescent leak-detection dye kits, where dye is added near suspected points and traced with a special torch
• Pressure testing of suction, return, jet and drain lines
• Checking overflow levels where rendering has raised the water into the terrace joint
• Inspecting balance tanks and pump rooms for seepage

How we repair shell, pipe and balance tank leaks

Once a fault is confirmed, we carry out the repair that matches it. An overflow lip set too high can sometimes be corrected with the water lowered. Floor pipes, construction joints and shell waterproofing need the pool or tank drained and dried. Draining in the wet season or with high groundwater needs assessment. Engineering decisions are made with you and your engineer — or, if you don't have one, with our partner engineer.

If water is escaping through underwater lights, we do not reseal the old niches. We replace the leaking lights, with electrical work agreed with your electrician or engineer. See Pool lighting & projection.

• Cutting out and relaying parted or leaking pipes beneath the pool floor
• Replacing leaking underwater lights and correcting faulty light conduits
• Lowering and re-profiling overflow edges where water escapes beneath the deck
• Repairs to shell cracks and leaking floor-to-wall joints
• Tank-in-tank rebuild: a new structure formed inside a leaking old one for balance tanks and, in difficult cases, for the pool itself

Waterproofing the pool shell, and beyond

Before a pool is rendered and finished in tile or PebbleCrete, we waterproof the shell with a system matched to the structure. Waterproofing is one of our main areas of work, and it goes well beyond pools. See also:

• Roofs, terraces, balconies and slabs
• Basements, pits and pump rooms below ground
• Water tanks, balance tanks and ponds

What to send for a first discussion

Send us the information below so we can review the symptoms, plan an inspection and prepare a quotation.

• Photos of the pool, overflow channel, balance tank or pump room
• Your villa, hotel or resort location in Phuket or elsewhere in Thailand
• The approximate pool size and how much the water level drops with the pump on and off
• Any damp patches, hollow tiles or past repairs you have noticed