Fortunately, national April home sales were up 20% over last year. With real estate activity finally picking up, the last thing a seller, buyer, real estate agent, or lender wants is a delay in the sales process as a result of a leaking swimming pool. With a little bit of planning, however, delays can be avoided.

Pools Do Leak

First, all concerned parties should be aware that pools leak. Indeed, 1 in 20 swimming pools have a leak right now. While older properties may suffer from corroded plumbing and a compromised structure, newer properties may suffer from unintended construction errors or changes in the natural water table.

Home Inspectors Do Not Perform a Full Pool Leak Detection

Second, all parties should recognize that home inspectors typically do not perform a full pool leak detection. Rather, “they perform a visual inspection of the pool structure, surroundings, and pump. If all looks well, they will check off the pool as ‘in working order’”, says Debbie Sander, a real estate agent for Windermere.

To Avoid Delays, Be Pro-Active

Third, all parties should be pro-active by considering the following signs and symptoms of a pool leak:

• There is algae forming too soon after a chemical treatment.
• There are loose or falling tiles or pool deck cracks.
• The pool/spa has settled into the ground or cracks and gaps appear in the pool shell or concrete deck.
• There is standing water, mushy spots, or uneven grass growth around the pool/spa area.
• The automatic filler is continually releasing water.

If any of these conditions are present, then retain a professional leak detection specialist early in the sales process. A leak detection specialist can perform a much more detailed inspection of the pool, its equipment and specifications. Pressure checks can be performed. Any pool leak issues can then be identified and resolved and a timely closing ensured.

Learn more about leak symptoms.

Use the swimming pool water loss calculator.

Calculation examples:

Example #1:

A pool owner says his 18×27 pool is losing 2 inches per day. How many gallons is the pool losing per day?
The formula is: L (x) W (x) WL (x) .6233 = Gallons Lost

The given values are: L = 32′  W=18′   WL=2″

Plugging the values into the formula we have:
32 (x) 18 (x) 2 (x) .6233 = 718.04 gallons

The 718 Gallons lost also gives you an idea of how big the leak is that you are looking for.  The example also means that they are losing:

• 29.9 gallons per hour! (718 divided by 24) and …
• 0.498 gallons per minute! (29.9 divided by 60)

That’s two quarts per minute!  What size stream of water would it take to fill a quart container in one minute?  About the diameter of a pencil.

Example #2:

A spa owner says he has to add 1.5 inches of water daily to his 12′ diameter spa. How many gallons of water is the pool losing?  The formula for round pools and spas is:
Diameter (feet) (x) Diameter (x) WL (x) .48929 = Gallons Lost

The given values are: Diameter= 12 feet   WL=  1.5 inches

So, plugging the values into the formula, we have:
12 (x) 12 (x) 1.5 (x) .48929 = 105.69 Gallons lost in 24 hours

Use the swimming pool water loss calculator at americanleakdetection.com to find out how many gallons per hour your pool is losing due to leakage.

If you find that your pool has a leak contact us to schedule a full leak detection.