Type of Pool:
Vinyl Liner
Equipment Used:
Leakalyzer, LeakTrac 2400, Pressure Testing Equipment, Dye
Situation:
This job started as a request for us to run a vinyl liner scan with the LeakTrac because the customer had a leak that they suspected was in the liner in a swim ledge. So, when we arrived at the pool we did a scan of the liner, which showed the suspected swim ledge wasn’t actually a problem. The LeakTrac did locate a small leak on the vinyl stairs, but this leak didn’t draw enough dye to be the source of significant water loss. We quickly patched this leak with a Leakmaster Peel and Stick Patch before moving on to do a full leak detection.
Solution:
With a quick pressure test we found a skimmer line was not holding pressure. We then switched from inducing pressure with water to inducing pressure with air and heard a loud bubbling and gurgling sound right in the skimmer bowl without even using a listening device. The leak turned out to be a broken pipe just below the skimmer bowl.
To verify the rest of the line was good we dropped a 550 inflatable plug with an extension hose in past the leak and found the rest of the line held pressure.
A repair was scheduled for a later date, but before leaving the pool we plugged the skimmer line and ran a Leakalyzer test to confirm all leaks had been found.
Learnings:
- Pressure testing is a quick way to isolate a pipe leak
- Air escaping from leak in pipe makes a great noise for sonic location
- The LeakTrac not only can be used to find leaks, but also to eliminate the liner as the location of a leak if no leaks are found
