Pool Losing Water But No Visible Leak?

Dealing with a pool leak?
Call us at 214-972-3330 for professional detection and repair

You’re adding water to your pool every few days. You’ve walked around the deck looking for wet spots. You’ve checked the equipment pad for drips. Nothing.

Yet the water level keeps dropping.

This is one of the most frustrating situations for pool owners — and one of the most common calls we get. The good news: there’s always an explanation. The challenge: finding it often requires looking in places you can’t see.

First: Rule Out Evaporation

Before assuming you have a leak, confirm that water loss isn’t just normal evaporation.

In North Texas, pools typically lose ¼ to ½ inch of water per day during hot summer months. That’s normal. Wind, sun exposure, humidity, and water temperature all affect evaporation rates.

The Bucket Test

This simple test separates evaporation from leaks:

1. Fill a 5-gallon bucket with pool water
2. Place it on the top step of your pool (submerged but stable)
3. Mark the water level inside the bucket AND the pool water level outside
4. Wait 24 hours (don’t use the pool)
5. Compare the two marks

If the pool lost significantly more water than the bucket, you have a leak — not just evaporation.

If both levels dropped the same amount, evaporation is your culprit.

Where “Invisible” Leaks Hide

When you can’t see a leak, it’s usually in one of these locations:

Underground Plumbing

Your pool has pipes buried beneath the deck and yard connecting the pool to your equipment. These pipes can:

• Separate at joints due to soil movement
• Crack from ground shifting or tree roots
• Develop pinhole leaks from age or corrosion

You won’t see water pooling because it’s absorbing into the soil underground. Sometimes the only sign is a patch of grass that’s greener than the rest — or soil that’s always damp in one area.

Skimmer Throat (Behind the Tile Line)

The skimmer is embedded in concrete at the junction of your pool wall and deck. Over time — especially in North Texas clay soil — the connection between skimmer body and pool shell separates.

Water escapes behind the skimmer, flows into the ground, and you never see a drop. The only clue: your water level stabilizes right at the skimmer opening.

Light Conduit

The electrical conduit running from your pool light to the junction box can leak. Water travels through the conduit pipe and exits somewhere behind the pool shell or at the light junction box — often underground or inside a wall.

If your water level stops dropping at the light fixture, this is a prime suspect.

Main Drain

The main drain at the bottom of your pool connects to underground plumbing. If the seal fails or the pipe cracks, water escapes deep underground where you’ll never see it.

Return and Suction Lines

The fittings where return jets and suction lines enter the pool wall can develop leaks behind the shell. Water seeps into the surrounding soil rather than pooling visibly.

Structural Cracks Below Water Line

Hairline cracks in concrete or gunite pools can leak without being obviously visible. A crack that looks cosmetic from above may penetrate through the shell and leak steadily.

In fiberglass pools, the gel coat can develop cracks that allow water through. In vinyl liner pools, tiny punctures or seam separations can be nearly invisible.

Signs That Point to Hidden Leaks

Even when you can’t see the leak, you might notice:

Water Level Patterns

• Water drops to a certain level and stops (leak is at that level)
• Water loss is consistent regardless of weather (rules out evaporation)
• Water loss continues even with pump off (rules out equipment/plumbing under pressure)

Around the Pool

• One area of grass is greener or grows faster
• Soft or spongy spots in the yard near the pool
• Soil erosion or settling near pool edge
• Cracks developing in the deck

Equipment Area

• Air bubbles in the pump basket
• Pump loses prime frequently
• Equipment runs but struggles to maintain flow

Water Chemistry

• Constantly needing to add chemicals
• Difficulty maintaining proper balance
• Algae growth despite proper treatment

Why You Can’t Find It Yourself

Hidden leaks are hidden for a reason. They’re located:

• Underground
• Behind concrete or tile
• Inside conduits
• Beneath the pool shell
• In places that require draining the pool to access

Even if you could access these areas, you’d need to know exactly where to look. Guessing leads to unnecessary excavation, deck damage, and wasted money.

How Professionals Find Invisible Leaks

Professional leak detection uses specialized equipment you can’t buy at a pool store:

Pressure Testing

We isolate and pressurize individual plumbing lines — skimmer line, main drain line, return lines — to identify which line is losing pressure. This tells us which pipe is leaking without digging anything up.

Electronic Listening Equipment

Hydrophones and ground microphones detect the sound of water escaping underground. We can often pinpoint a leak’s location within inches.

Dye Testing

With the pump off and water still, we apply dye at suspected leak points. If there’s a leak, the dye gets pulled into it visibly. This works for cracks, fitting leaks, and skimmer separations.

Systematic Process of Elimination

We check every potential leak point methodically:

1. Equipment pad and above-ground plumbing
2. Skimmer(s) and skimmer lines
3. Return fittings and return lines
4. Main drain and main drain line
5. Light niche and conduit
6. Pool shell (walls and floor)
7. Tile line and coping

This process finds leaks that homeowners searching randomly would never locate.

The Cost of Not Finding It

Every day a hidden leak continues:

• Water waste: A moderate leak loses 5,000+ gallons per month
• Chemical waste: Chemicals leave with the water
• Higher bills: Water isn’t cheap in DFW
• Soil erosion: Water underground washes away soil supporting your pool and deck
• Structural damage: Eroded soil leads to settling, cracking, and shifting
• Foundation risk: In severe cases, water saturates clay soil near your home’s foundation

A leak detection today can prevent $3,000+ in damage next year.

What to Do Next

If your pool is losing water and you can’t find the source:

1. Do the bucket test to confirm it’s a leak (not evaporation)
2. Note the pattern — does water stop at a certain level? Does it leak faster with pump on or off?
3. Check the obvious — equipment pad, visible plumbing, around skimmer
4. Call a professional if you can’t locate it within a day or two

Don’t start digging up your deck or yard hoping to find it. Professional detection costs a fraction of exploratory demolition — and actually finds the leak.

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Pool Types We Service

We detect and repair leaks in all inground pool types:

• Concrete/Gunite Pools – Plaster, pebble, and aggregate finishes
• Fiberglass Pools – Gel coat and fiberglass shell repairs
• Vinyl Liner Pools – Liner leaks and fitting repairs

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Mr. Pool Leak Repair serves Dallas, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, The Colony, Carrollton, Richardson, Southlake, Fort Worth, and communities throughout the DFW metroplex.

Ready to fix your leak for good?

Call 214-972-3330 or contact us online to schedule your leak detection.