How unattended pool leaks create bigger problems

by arslan_ahmed | September 25, 2023 12:00 pm

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By Tom Soukup

Pool leaks are a problem and ignoring them creates much bigger problems. The nature of moving water is to expand its pathway, gradually permitting an ever-greater volume to pass. This destructive nature is an issue in and of itself, but when water is being purchased, treated, and heated, the financial loss increases exponentially.

Unfortunately, leaking pools are more common than one might expect. Many small leaks escape notice, only to devolve into big issues that cannot be ignored. Leaks are often caused, or at least exacerbated, by a lack of maintenance and improper installation. One job the author’s company is currently working on is a great example.

The company had cold-called a high-end country club in central Pennsylvania, to see if they needed help maintaining their 20-year-old, 556,455.5-L (147,000-gal), three-season outdoor pool and kiddie pool.

The call struck a chord, because the owners quickly asked the company to visit and look at a leak problem they were experiencing. Their pool sits at a higher elevation than the adjacent parking lot, and in the summer, maintenance staff are regularly required to pressure wash algae off the parking surface. The algae grows on a large portion of the parking lot that remains wet from water running out of the ground between the pool and the pavement, similar to a natural spring. In the winter, the water turns to an ice flow. This runoff reduces parking capacity, creates unnecessary maintenance labour, poses a slip-and-fall hazard year-round, and creates an eyesore on an otherwise attractive property. Essentially, the water had been flowing out of the pool, through the soil, and onto the parking lot.

A partial fix

A number of years ago, the country club had hired a leak detection company to assist them in determining where the problem originated.

Proper leak detection can be very costly and must be conducted methodically. Moreover, many companies look for the source of a leak, fix it, and leave, never considering there may be more than one issue. After paying for the repair, many property owners assume the problem has been resolved but that is not always the case—especially when dealing with aging and improperly maintained pools, multiple leaks are possible, if not likely.

At the country club, tens of thousands of dollars had been spent rectifying the leak, only to accomplish stemming the loss of water without truly fixing it.

Finding all the issues

The author’s company became involved in the situation in fall 2022. They met with property management and gave them an initial price range to come and conduct leak detection on the gutter pool.

First, the company performed a visual inspection, while speaking with maintenance staff to get as much background information as possible. The staff explained the pool was losing roughly 152.4 mm (6 in.)—or 59,430.9 L (15,700 gal)—per day. Next, the company performed a static leak test. This included bringing the waterline up to the spill level of the pool, shutting off the makeup water supply, affixing a measuring stick to the side of the pool, and creating a log form for maintenance staff to record their findings.

The pool was checked every four hours, to determine how quickly the water level was falling. It was determined it was losing a tremendous amount of water within the first 12 hours, followed by more gradual loss afterwards. This indicated there was a major leak at or near the gutter, as well as smaller leaks below that spot.

At that point, the company pressure tested all the waterlines going to and from the filter room. There was one minor leak in the gutter line, which was the result of a makeshift repair. All the other lines were intact.

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Next, they conducted a dye test of all the main drains and other shell penetrations. This uncovered more problems, mostly notably that all the light niches leaked. The pool water was pumped down to access the niches, but in doing so, the team uncovered another problem. As the water was pumped out and allowed to spill over the concrete decking, it would run back into the pool below the stainless steel gutter. It appeared as though the water was running through the damaged decking and returning to the pool between the gutter and the shell.

After seeing this happen, one of the facilities maintenance staff members explained every time it rained while the pool level was down, he would witness the water level rise, and the water seemed to come from below the gutter. After dumping 18.9 L (5 gal) of yellow food colouring onto the deck and spraying down the surface, their fear was confirmed. The food colouring began entering the pool. Not only was the joint between the shell and gutter compromised, but the shell had also most likely not been properly backfilled with permeable material.

Evidently, at least one of two issues was at play. Either the pool was installed incorrectly, or frost heave had created a void behind the pool shell. In this case, it was likely a combination of both. After all, proper installation would have prevented frost heave.

All this information was presented to the owners along with providing orders of magnitude for possible repairs versus full pool replacement.

The company was then asked to stem the leak as much as possible with minor repairs until Labour Day 2023, at which point demolition would begin. When this part of the process takes place, their team will be on-site to examine the exposed pool shell for future reference.

Crunching the numbers

For the country club, the cost of the leaking pool has been tremendous. Ignoring the cost of leak detection, esthetic damages, maintenance labour, and reduction in parking space, they have been strapped with the expense of buying, treating, and heating a staggering volume of makeup water.

During their pool season—a week before Memorial Day through the week after Labour Day—the pool leaked 6,953,423 L (1,836,900 gal). This amount of leakage comes with huge environmental implications.

Currently, the water rate is $3.56 per 3,785 L (1,000 gal), or $6,539.36 in water alone, per season. The losses in chlorine per season are more than $200. Calculating the cost of other treatment chemicals is difficult.

The energy used to heat the lost water is yet another financial and environmental burden, at 15,301,377 British thermal units (Btus). The existing pool heater is also roughly 50 per cent efficient. Thus, with a natural gas price of $8.95 per 28.3 m³ (1,000 cf), the true financial loss is $268.61.

The total quantifiable cost of the leak throughout the 117-day swimming season is $7,012.71. Over the estimated five-year period, the leak has been at its worst and has cost the club more than $35,000.

Other expenses, including electric, additional chemicals, labour, and parking loss are conservatively just as much, meaning since the leak began, it has easily cost the club $70,000 over the past five years.

It is important to keep in mind the leak has been a problem for more than a decade. The cost of proper leak detection at a pool facility may be high, but the cost of inaction—both financially and environmentally—is much higher.

Author

Tom Soukup is the principal of Patriot Waterworks Co. and has more than 20 years’ experience as a hydronic designer and installer. He specializes in high-efficiency and green technology and brings his expertise to custom hydronic work, pool heating, and agricultural projects. Soukup can be reached at twsoukup@patriotwaterworks.com.

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/features/how-unattended-pool-leaks-create-bigger-problems/

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