Leak detection in Houston area
- Thread starter mynewpool
- Start date
"American Leak Detection"
281-440-4400
americanleakdetection.com
I've been happy with their work.
281-440-4400
americanleakdetection.com
I've been happy with their work.
Second that for American Leak Detection. They will come, in scuba if the water is cold, test everything, and certain things they can even fix. Money well spent. Found hairline gaps under the moss rock coping in several areas and one pencil size hole.
I have a quick question. If I am not doing the leak detection but just using my pool to determine. I am losing about 2 inches a week just by doing a measurements on the pool side. I know you have to do the bucket test but this may be too hard to do due to having to put a certain amount of water in a bucket. I leave my dogs out during the day and afraid they may drink from the bucket therefore messing up my results. Before we moved into the house at some point there was a leak that was fixed. So do you have to do the bucket test to determine if you have a leak?
Put the bucket almost completely submerged on the steps of your pool. If they can get to that, they can reach the pool, too.
PS - My dog drinks from the pool all year 'round when the notion strikes her (maybe 10-20% of her total consumption).
She prefers the nasty mud puddles in the yard when it rains and, as a last resort, drinks from the fresh dish we provide.
Some drinking from a 50ppm CYA pool I would consider harmless yet others would exercise a bit more caution.
I don't know that I have ever read of a dog (outside the laboratory) actually becoming ill and that be attributable to CYA consumption. Anyone?
PS - My dog drinks from the pool all year 'round when the notion strikes her (maybe 10-20% of her total consumption).
She prefers the nasty mud puddles in the yard when it rains and, as a last resort, drinks from the fresh dish we provide.
Some drinking from a 50ppm CYA pool I would consider harmless yet others would exercise a bit more caution.
I don't know that I have ever read of a dog (outside the laboratory) actually becoming ill and that be attributable to CYA consumption. Anyone?
I am not worried about them drinking from the pool, but if they drink from the bucket this will cause the water level to go down not due to evaporation.
You could always try the bucket test, but move the bucket to a nearby out of dog reach location.
Isaac-1 said:
Not really anywhere besides on the top step. The next step would put the bucket under water.
For leak detection is Houston, I can vouch for Allen at Hydro-Tech (832-704-3012). I just had them by a couple weeks ago and was very happy with their work. They did not propose any unnecessary work, they found the two leaks fast (I knew roughly where they were)
csn said:
If you don't mind me asking, what does it cost to have someone come out for this? I don't have any visible leaks but it sure seems like I have to add more water than I used to.
tagprod said:
I believe the full system test (suction side and returns) was ~$2000 (don't quote me on that because I didn't have every line tested). Hydro-tech charges ~$500 per line test and repair. I had one return leak I was very certain of the location, and another return I knew was leaking somewhere. They located the leaks quick (the one I knew about was a sheared PVC pipe), the other was small PVC leak. Both leaks were pretty small in terms of water loss (the one advantage of gumbo soil...). The water cost of the leaks was probably less than $50 a year - the main reason I got the work done is I want the returns to circulate water again. Total cost for the repair work was just over $1000.
American Leak Detection was about $400 for my pool. They tested all lines, tested skimmers and light niches with dye. They returned to check again because I knew there was a leak that had not been found. That visit located several small leaks at the plaster/rock coping including a very hard to see leak at the edge of the swim out that could only be seen with a mirror as the water level was too shallow to get an eyeball on that area due to the rock overhang. All my leaks were sealed with a fraction of a $20 tube of two part pool epoxy.
Get a large enough bucket, like a 5 gallon paint bucket or pool chem bucket. Fill it to within maybe 4" of the top, then make a weave of packing tape across it so the dog can't drink it. It will be heavy enough that he probably can't move it and the wind won't either. (I think it was hungry raccoons that kept tipping my bucket.) Pencil in where the water is on the inside level and where it is on the outside at pool level. They don't have to be the same level but the bucket does have to be rather straight sided. Turn everything off in the pool, so that any waterfall losses or leaks are not involved. Test one night that way. If the drop inside and outside are different, then the pool leaks when still. If it does not, then test again with the system running, but waterfalls off. Finding a leak due to the waterfall is really hard, you have to be sure that the waterfall pools are all full, and the rocks are all wet, before you set your first measure. You have some evaporation in any case that cannot be accounted for.
Get a large enough bucket, like a 5 gallon paint bucket or pool chem bucket. Fill it to within maybe 4" of the top, then make a weave of packing tape across it so the dog can't drink it. It will be heavy enough that he probably can't move it and the wind won't either. (I think it was hungry raccoons that kept tipping my bucket.) Pencil in where the water is on the inside level and where it is on the outside at pool level. They don't have to be the same level but the bucket does have to be rather straight sided. Turn everything off in the pool, so that any waterfall losses or leaks are not involved. Test one night that way. If the drop inside and outside are different, then the pool leaks when still. If it does not, then test again with the system running, but waterfalls off. Finding a leak due to the waterfall is really hard, you have to be sure that the waterfall pools are all full, and the rocks are all wet, before you set your first measure. You have some evaporation in any case that cannot be accounted for.
4x4tx
Well-known member
- Jul 23, 2007
- 401
- Pool Size
- 17500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Thanks for the info, I was looking for someone to check out my pool on the east side of houston. My pool has always seemed to loose water quickly in the summer but lately I have been noticing in the runoff area between my neighbors house and mine that it stays wet and even holds some water in low places..I can not figure out where it is coming from due to the pool equipment area being pretty tight....was curious what kind of $$ i was looking at for someone to give me an answer to where the problem is.
Was the sprinkler system installed before the pool? Likely they crushed some lines somewhere.
You may also want to dig a hole or a few holes. We did, trying to see if the water weeping at the street in front was from the greenbelt behind. It was not, it was very wet 18" deep at the fence line but not closer to the woods. So, not the woods. Then we began to suspect the pool. After ruling out the sprinklers.
The home inspector did not see the weeping at the street as an issue, even when we asked specifically about the slimy curb. The pool inspector did not notice it. So much for paid professionals.
You may also want to dig a hole or a few holes. We did, trying to see if the water weeping at the street in front was from the greenbelt behind. It was not, it was very wet 18" deep at the fence line but not closer to the woods. So, not the woods. Then we began to suspect the pool. After ruling out the sprinklers.
The home inspector did not see the weeping at the street as an issue, even when we asked specifically about the slimy curb. The pool inspector did not notice it. So much for paid professionals.
I may just have to get someone to come out. I am finding it impossible to mark the outside of the bucket due to the water level moving up and down. I just have a feeling I am losing a lot of water and based off of the tile line, it is moving down about 2 inches a week.
Good News:
I contacted American Leak Detection and it appears they did a leak repair back in 2009 on the return line. They have a 5 year warranty that transfers to new owners. So that particular leak fix is still under warranty. I am going to get them to come out and take a look. Thanks for those that suggested to contact them.
I contacted American Leak Detection and it appears they did a leak repair back in 2009 on the return line. They have a 5 year warranty that transfers to new owners. So that particular leak fix is still under warranty. I am going to get them to come out and take a look. Thanks for those that suggested to contact them.
Will do. I got a quote from them and it is 275.00 for leak detection. If the leak is what they repaired no charge will be charged. If not it will be the 275.00. I sure hope they are an honest company and if the leak is what they fixed they fix it and not try to say oh that is not it here it is. But from reading on here and having 3 people recommend them I should be OK.
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