Due to the recent earthquakes American Leak Detection has some pre-caution info for our local residence.  Below are a couple of tips and pre-cautions to check following an earthquake.

Earthquakes not only rattles you nerves, it rattles and shakes everything.  Many people do not think about the pipes that are underground are also moving with thousand s of tons of dirt during an earthquake.  These lines can crack, break or even loosen fittings. 

  Here are a couple of tips and pre-cautions a homeowner can perform themselves following a earthquake.

·         Check the front “Water Meter” for your house.  This meter is usually by the curb or street and it is either in a plastic or concrete box.  Most times they are marked “Meter”. 

1.      Mark with either tape or a pen the line the meter is currently at.

2.      Left the meter sit for a period of 45 minutes to 1 hour without using any water in the house.

3.      After step 2, check the mark from before.  If it shows that the meter has moved at all within this time with no water being used in the house, there is a leak somewhere.  This means there is a water leak on the domestic or pressurized hot/cold water lines inside or below your house.

4.      If there is no movement there is NO LEAKS.  If there is any movement then you need a Leak Detection to locate the problem before the problem escalates.

·         Check your pool for leaks by performing a Bucket Test.  This is a simple test that takes a period of 24 hours.  You will need a 5 gallon bucket, tape or a permanent marker to perform this test.

1.      Place the bucket on the first or second step of the pool.  Ensure that the bucket is immersed in the pool at least five inches. 

2.      Mark the water level inside the bucket with tape or a permanent marker. 

3.      Let the bucket sit for a period of 24 hours. 

4.      After 24 hours, you want to compare the two water levels (inside/out).  The inside of the bucket will represent the normal evaporation rate and the outside of the bucket will represent the how much you pool is losing.  

5.      Measure the two distances and they should be the same.  If they are different, that tells the homeowner how much the pool is losing compared to evaporation, indicating there is a leak.  Call for a Leak detection ASAP. 

·         Pool/Spa Electricity: Another concern is electricity for the pool light or the equipment. 

1.      Outside the pool visually look at the light to try to determine if there is water inside the pool light.  If there is water in the light, you want to turn off the electricity feeding that light immediately.  Now you need a leak detection to locate the source of the leak or electrical problem.

2.      Your pool has a GFI (ground-fault circuit-interrupters) that is suppose to trip the electric system if there is a short or problem. If cause of failure these pre-cautions are important to avoid injuries or death.

3.      There may not be sufficient current flowing in the water to blow a fuse, but sufficient to kill you. Some electricity will flow directly to earth and some will flow through the water. In fact, there will still be an electric potential difference in the vicinity (probably the whole pool) of the exposed conductor. Consequently, some of the electricity will flow through the pool water, some will flow through the person in the pool, and some will flow through to earth.

4.      Call the professionals at American Leak Detection if you have any questions.

      619-233-0382 or 760-432-6417  Toll Free 800-619-5325

Heres an example of what happens to a pool during our recent earthquake Sunday April 4^th: