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Case Studies

Case Study: Long Plumbing Run with Multiple Leak Noises

 

Type of Pool:

Concrete – Commercial Pool

Situation:

The pool cleaner noticed that suction was not as strong as it used to be, which caused difficulty when cleaning the pool. There wasn’t significant water loss, so the customer didn’t suspect a large leak.

 

Solution:

We started by shutting the pump off and running a static dye test using Dye Testing Cones. The line that included all five skimmers did not pass the static dye test, which indicated that there was a leak somewhere in that line. We then moved on to running a water pressure test on the line. The pool equipment was about 250 feet away from the pool, so it took a long time to build up pressure. Once pressure was built up, it  dropped quickly, confirming that there was a leak in the pipe.

To locate the leak, we needed to get pressurized air to escape through the leak into water saturated soil. This makes the telltale bubbling sound that can be picked up by our Fisher listening device. To ensure that air reached the leak, we attempted to purge all the water from the line by inducing air. But, because the plumbing run was so long, it was hard to be certain that all the water had been purged. When we tried inducing air into the line from one of the skimmers we heard the leak noise in several areas along the plumbing run.  Noise in several spots can indicate that there are multiple leaks, but could also be caused by low spots in the plumbing where the induced air is traveling through standing water still in the pipe.  This is most likely to happen when inducing air from the low end of the plumbing.

Changing where the air pressure is being induced from can help rule out low spots and pinpoint the leak location. In this case, since we heard multiple leak noises, we changed to inducing pressure through a different skimmer on the other side of the pool. When air was induced from this skimmer, we heard a leak noise on this side of the pool but there was no longer a noise on the other side. The only place that made a leak noise from both induction points was between the two skimmers. So, that place was the most likely leak location. To verify that there wasn’t a leak farther down the line toward the equipment, we switched the induction point to a final location in the pump house. This caused a noise in a new location between the pool and the pump house as well as in the previous place between the skimmers. Since there was only one place where a leak noise was heard from all three induction points, we determined that was the leak location.

Because we were unable to get all the water out of the line there were also misleading sounds caused by air traveling through water trapped in low spots of the plumbing. By comparing leak noise locations as we changed the induction points, we could decipher which noise was the leak noise and which noises were false positives. Under pressure, air will only travel as far as it must in order to escape through the leak, so the low spots in the plumbing did not make noise unless they were between the induction spot and the leak location.

The extra listening time paid off – once the concrete was cut, we could see that our leak location was spot on! During the repair the lines were pressure tested to ensure that the other noises we had heard were not also leaks. While inducing air from multiple locations takes time, it’s still faster and more accurate than other methods that require you to fish equipment through the plumbing lines. Plus, due to the long plumbing run a camera wouldn’t have been able to reach the entire line and the amount of tracer gas needed to fill the line would have been expensive.

Highlights:

  1. Pressurized air escaping into water saturated soil makes a clear noise that can be accurately located with a listening device.
  2. Once pressure is built up, air in a pipe will only travel as far as it must to reach the leak, not further.
  3. Changing induction points can help rule out false noises from water stuck in low spots of the plumbing.
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Case Study: Above Ground Pool With Multiple Leaks

 

Type of Pool:

Above Ground, Vinyl Liner

Equipment Used:

LeakTrac 2400,  Dye Testing Cones, Pressure Testing Equipment

Situation:

Pool owner noted water loss of 1.5” per day and hinted that they thought the liner needed some patching.

Solution:

Since the LeakTrac 2400 can pinpoint liner leaks in above ground pools too, we started by doing a liner scan. It can be a little harder to find a good ground source on above ground pools, but at this pool we were able to attach to the steel wall, which gave us a great connection.   We promptly located and patched a small liner leak under the ladder. It didn’t seem to be big enough to be responsible for 1.5” per day of loss, so we kept looking.

Since the liner was eliminated from being a source of water loss with the LeakTrac, we set up the Dye Testing Cones to do a static dye test of the plumbing, which revealed a potential leak in the return line.  A failed pressure test of the return line confirmed it was leaking.  This was sort of peculiar since the line was primarily visible and dry.  Once air was induced, we noticed it  bubbled up through the rocks in the short area the line was actually underground. In a little over an hour we had found and patched the liner leak and pinpointed the pipe leak.

Highlights:

  • The LeakTrac 2400 works great on above ground vinyl liner pools, you may just have to get creative with your ground connection.
  • It’s easy to pinpoint leaks in pipes that are close to the surface, just keep your eyes open!
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Case Study: Misleading Dye Test

Type of Pool:

Vinyl Liner

Equipment Used:

Dye Tester Cones, Pressure Testing Equipment, Electronic Listening Device, Leakalyzer

Pool with leak detection equipment

Situation:

Customer reported that pool was losing water and suspected the skimmer line.

Solution:

Based on the customer’s suspicion we started out leak job by running  a dye test of the skimmer lines right away using the dye testing cones. The deep end skimmer was plugged while the shallow end skimmer was tested and vice versa. Both skimmers pulled dye.  Since each skimmer had its own run from the pump, and since we had isolated each line by closing valves we thought that both lines had a leak.

In order to start pinpointing those leaks, we first pressurized the line with air from the deep end skimmer back to a closed valve at the equipment. We could immediately hear the bubbling noise of air escaping into water saturated soil right below the skimmer bowl.

Then, we checked the shallow end skimmer line by switching to inducing pressure from that skimmer bowl. There was no noise and a much slower pressure drop. After listening for a while but still not finding a noise and not seeing a significant pressure drop, we switched to inducing pressure from the valves to isolate each line individually. Using this approach the shallow end skimmer line held pressure and the deep end line made noise in the same spot we had heard before.

Pressure testing from pool equipment

It turns out that the shallow end skimmer line was not leaking, but it had drawn dye through the pipes to the other skimmer break due  valves that didn’t seal off properly. Pressure testing helped us determine that there was just the one leak, not two.

We also ran a Leakalyzer test on the shell of the pool while the lines were plugged.  The results confirmed that the pool shell wasn’t losing water. We left the job having given the customer a clear leak location and the assurance that their pool would no longer be leaking once the plumbing repair was made.

Highlights:

  • Leaks can siphon through bad valves, which produces unclear results when dye testing. It’s important to understand how your tests may give deceptive information and perform secondary tests if you are left with any uncertainty. Pressure testing was able to verify the line was good despite drawing dye.
  • Opening the pump lid would have been an effective method of isolating the skimmers by creating an air break. Since the dye test was done early in our Initial Assessment we hadn’t yet opened the pump.
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Case Study: LeakTrac 2400 Reduces Time In Cold Water

Type of Pool:

Vinyl

Equipment Used:

LeakTrac 2400, Leakalyzer

Situation:

We were called to help out with an outstate pool that had a pesky leak causing between 1 and 2 inches of water loss per week. This pool had an auto cover which needs to be supported for the winter so it was important that the pool shell was leak free before winterizing the pool.

Solution:

When we showed up the pool was very cold and had wrinkles everywhere, making it tough to identify suspect leak areas… the whole liner was a suspect! Once we got our initial Leakalyzer test going we immediately pulled out the LeakTrac 2400 to start scanning the liner from the deck. We quickly found a leak in the center of the pool – a place that would have taken hours and hours of cold water diving to find without the LeakTrac. The LeakTrac didn’t pick up any other leaks, so we knew the rest of the liner was good. We suited up in a dry suit and quickly patched the leak.

Once the leak was patched we ran a final Leakalyzer test to confirm the water loss had stopped. The pool owner was grateful for the peace of mind of going into the winter leak free with a supported auto cover.

The LeakTrac 2400 has made locating vinyl liner leaks so easy that these jobs tend to get overlooked as we are looking at case study content. As the water got colder this fall we were reminded how valuable this tool really is!

Highlights:

  1. The LeakTrac 2400 is an invaluable tool for locating vinyl liner leaks, especially when dealing with a wrinkled liner and cold water.
  2. Since auto covers can collapse if a pool loses water during the winter, the Leakalyzer is a great tool to give customers peace of mind that their pool is not leaking before closing it for the season.
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Case Study: New Pool, Big Leak

Type of Pool:

Vinyl Liner

Equipment Used:

Leakalyzer, LeakTrac, Dye Tester Cones, Pressure Testing Equipment, Electronic Listening Device, Hydrophone, Tube Level

Situation:

We were called to examine a new build that was losing 4” of water per day. It hadn’t been leaking for the first four days that it was filled but recently started rapidly losing water. When we arrived to the pool the water level was down below the skimmers, but the skimmer bowls were still full of water – indicating that those lines were not leaking.

Solution:

Suspecting that the problem was in a plumbing line, we did a quick dye test of the returns and cleaner line with the dye testing cones, but they also were not drawing water. Our Leakalyzer test had been running during these initial observations, and indicated a loss of 3.5 inches per day. A quick scan with the LeakTrac showed no leaks in the liner, so it was time to dive down to the main drain. A dye test with the dye testing cones showed that line was the source of our water loss.

We then plugged the main drain lines while we were diving and ran a pressure test from the equipment back to the pool. The water pressure test confirmed the line was leaking, so we then started inducing air for sonic location. It took a while for the air to reach the leak, indicating that the leak wasn’t close to the equipment where the air was being induced. So, we used a hydrophone attached to our XLT30H listening device to start listening along the main drain lines where they ran close to the shell of the pool. We could hear the loud bubbling/gurgling noise of air escaping into water saturated soil near the base of the wall in the middle of the deep end.

Since the main drains were plugged we ran another Leakalyzer test to verify that the rest of the pool shell was not losing water and the main drain line was the only issue.

A main drain leak at the base of the wall is not a repair anyone wants to make, so to verify the sonic leak location we used a tube level. We attached a clear plastic tube to the end of a standard open plug in the main drain. Now, instead the leak draining water from the pool it drained the water in the tube. The tube leaked down to the level of the leak and then stopped. We colored the water in the tube with Leakmaster Fluorescent Dye to be able to clearly see the water level. The water level stopped right at the level that we had identified with the hydrophone.

The crew dug up the leaking plumbing line and found a stake had been driven through the pipe!?!

Highlights:

  1. A hydrophone with digital sound graph is helpful when listening for main drain plumbing leaks through the shell of the pool.
  2. The Leakalyzer helps verify the rest of pool isn’t leaking while pressure testing and pinpointing leaks in plumbing.
  3. A simple tube level can help verify the depth of the leak before digging. Be creative with the materials you have on hand!
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Case Study: Not What We Suspected

Type of Pool:

Vinyl Liner

Equipment Used:

Leakalyzer, LeakTrac 2400, Pressure Testing Equipment, Dye, Leakmaster Pool Glue

Situation:

We were at least the second company to take on this job, so the homeowner was concerned about how we could be sure that all the leaks were found. She was also convinced that the leak was in the return side plumbing.

Solution:

We started pump on/ pump off test with the Leakalyzer and found that the pool was losing more water with the pump running. This usually tells us to suspect pressure side plumbing.

We had two techs on this job, so one tech began running a pressure test while the other ran a vinyl scan with the LeakTrac 2400.  The pressure test on the pressure side plumbing held, but the LeakTrac was getting a stronger than normal signal coming from the skimmer.  We did a quick dye check of the skimmer and  sure enough the bottom of the skimmer bowl was cracked. The movement of water in the skimmer, or possibly even a slight shift in the suction pipe when the pump was running caused more water loss.  This was a rare situation where higher water loss with the pump running wasn’t an indication of a pressure side leak.

We repaired the skimmer bowl with Leakmaster Pool Glue and fiberglass mesh, which provides a permanent repair that will be able to handle the movement of the pool as time goes on. We charged the homeowner an additional fee for this repair. Once the repair was done, a final Leakalyzer test confirmed the now repaired skimmer leak was the only leak.

Highlights:

  1. Remember that pump on/pump off tests only provide suspicions of where the problem is.  Further tests are needed for confirmation.
  2. LeakTrac can indicate a leak in the skimmer with higher than normal intensity.
  3. Count on your own observations, diligence and reason more than what other people tell you.
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Case Study: A Job Done Right Pays Off

Type of Pool:

Concrete – Commercial (Apartment Complex)

Equipment Used:

Leakalyzer, Pressure Testing Equipment, Hydrophone, Dye, Dry Suit, Super Snorkel

Situation:

After opening the pool for the summer the customer noticed significant water loss and gave us a call. When we arrived to the job the Leakalyzer reported nearly 6” of water loss per day.

Solution:

The first two leaks were found right away while we were gathering information. One was clearly visible while we were inspecting a return fitting and the other was found around an equalizer line while we were scanning the pool with a hydrophone. We were able to repair both leaks with Leakmaster Pool Repair Putty.

After the initial leaks were repaired a new Leakalyzer test reported 2.35” of water loss per day. We used dye to find two more leaks – one at another return fitting and one at the tile line.

Once these leaks were repaired the Leakalyzer was still reporting a loss of 1.84” per day. So far we had found and repaired four leaks but were still losing a significant amount of water. We ran a quick pressure test to eliminate the plumbing as the source of the remaining water loss.

Finally a crack in the tile line deeper down in the pool was found and fixed getting us to a no water loss test. Five leaks found, five leaks repaired. Between the multiple Leakalyzer tests, pressure tests, electronic microphone use, extensive dye testing and even diving in freezing spring water this job was more work than most. Once it was all said and done we felt good that we didn’t just solve one of their problems and move along. The property manager was thankful and eager to get us set up as a vendor for all their properties. They even mentioned that we’d done more than other companies had ever done.

Highlights:

  1. Large leaks in concrete pools can be found with a hydrophone, but it may not pick up smaller leaks.
  2. Using the Leakalyzer throughout the job meant we were there longer finding additional leaks, but it saved us from a costly callback.
  3. Extra effort and a job well done gets noticed and helps drive future business.
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Case Study: Eliminating Misleading Leak Sounds

Type of Pool:

Vinyl Liner

Equipment Used:

Leakalyzer, Pressure Testing Equipment, XLT30H, Hydrophone,  Dye

Situation:

Customer reported that the pool was leaking 1-2 inches per day and that a new liner was installed recently. When we arrived, the pool level had already dropped below the skimmers and returns.

Solution:

We ran a pump on and pump off test with the Leakalyzer and found the pool was losing slightly more water with the pump off. This indicated that we should suspect suction side plumbing. Since the pool water level was already below the skimmers we dove down to check the main drains. A dye test confirmed that the main drain line was drawing dye from both of the two main drains.

We set up our pressure testing equipment to start pinpointing the location of the leak and ran a quick pressure test with water first to confirm that what the dye was showing was accurate. Once we started inducing air and purged all the water from the line we were able to hear a good leak noise in two spots with the Hydrophone (attached to the XLT30H). The first noise was right at one of the main drain bowls and the other was in a corner of the pool. While we had the main drain lines plugged we also ran another Leakalyzer test, which verified the water loss had stopped in the pool so there was no need to run a LeakTrac on the liner or dye test the fittings, skimmers, etc.

In order to determine which noise we were hearing was actually the leak, we slid an inflatable plug 8’ into the line from the main drain bowl and re-pressure tested. The pressure test still failed, so we knew the leak had to be farther than 8’ away from the main drain bowl. With this information we decided that the place we heard noise in the corner of the pool was the leak location. Another confirming factor was that while we were inducing air, there would occasionally be a bubble that came up behind the liner to the surface of the pool. Before leaving we also ran pressure tests on skimmer and returns to verify the rest of the plumbing was good.

Learnings:

  1. Pressure testing helped us identify actual problem when the  noise was heard in multiple locations.
  2. Leakalyzer verified that pool shell was leak free, saving us time during the isolation phase.
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Case Study: More than Meets the Eye

Type of Pool:

Vinyl liner

Equipment Used:

Leakalyzer, LeakTrac 2400, Dye

Situation:

The customer called us because they noticed the equipment pad was always wet, and the water level was dropping in the pool (estimated at ½” per day). They could not identify where the water was coming from, but thought the heater may be the problem.

Solution:

On arrival we ran a Leakalyzer test that showed .6” of water loss per day.

As the customer had reported, the equipment pad was very wet but we found that the heater was dry. We then lifted up the pump, which made a leak under the pump visible.

With the pump off, we then ran another Leakalyzer test that still showed .39” per day of loss, which meant that the equipment leak was only producing .21” of loss per day, so there must be an additional leak in the pool. We started examining the shell of the pool by dye testing a few areas where there had been previous repairs, but none of them drew dye. We than ran the LeakTrac 2400 which led us to two leaks in the same corner: one where a patch was leaking again, and a new hole in the liner about 6” away from the other leak. The LeakTrac 2400 could clearly differentiate between the two holes even though they were close together.

After patching the liner leaks we ran another Leakalyzer test with the pump off that showed no water loss, meaning the only leak left was the one in the pump. Not only did the Leakalyzer help us determine that there were multiple leaks in the pool, but it also confirmed that we had found all of the problems before leaving.

Learnings:

  1. Just because you find an obvious leak doesn’t mean you’ve found all of the problems at a pool – the Leakalyzer can help avoid that mistake!
  2. The LeakTrac 2400 can find multiple leaks in a pool, even if they’re close together.
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Case Study: Multiple Leaks Don’t Have To Mean Multiple Trips

Type of Pool:

Vinyl In-ground

Equipment Used:

Leakalyzer, Dye

Situation:

Customer reported that the pool was losing water and had a light leak patched a year ago. It was a smaller pool with no deep end.

Solution:

Ran a Leakalyzer test upon arrival which showed a water loss of about ½” per day. Since we knew the light was a suspect area, we checked it right away with the Light Tester dome and it drew dye. After jumping in the pool and opening up the light we were able to pinpoint the leak between the light conduit and light niche with dye. At that point, the family showed up wanting to swim since it was a hot day. Since we had already found and fixed a leak we skipped the final Leakalyzer test… of course we got a call back one week later to let us know that the pool was still losing water.

What could have been a quick job turned into a second trip. The second time at the pool we were able to find a liner leak and a skimmer bowl leak with more thorough investigation. We made sure to run our final Leakalyzer test the second time around after fixing the leaks and didn’t get any further call backs. It’s a good reminder that just because you find one leak doesn’t mean you’ve found them all!

Learnings:

  1. Must be thorough in leak detection! Short cuts can lead to more time spent in the long run.
  2. The Leakalyzer is a crucial tool in multiple leak situations.
  3. When scheduling, make sure the customer understands they can’t swim in the pool during the leak detection!
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