NJ Pool Inspection. Atlantic Leak Detection, Pool Inspection Specialists

The old cliche “I’ll worry about it later” luckily didn’t apply to this smart home buyer. Atlantic Leak Detection performs 100′s of home pool inspections each year. This last pool inspection was a prime example of why it is so important to have this done before you buy a new home. Why would you have a home inspection and not have a pool inspection? The home inspector has no clue what to look for when they look at a pool. Atlantic Leak Detection’s pool inspectors have no clue what to look for when they walk through your house. The math is easy.

As we performed a visual pool inspection for the buyer we noticed that there were (2) water line stains on the pool walls. One formed where the water level is supposed to be and the other where it most definitely shouldn’t be. Then we noticed that there was fresh grout in certain areas of the tile below the coping. HMMM, something fishy. These details were written in our comprehensive pool inspection report and submitted to our client with some of the possible reasons.

Lucky for our client that he had this pool inspection done. Because of our pool inspection report, our client (the buyer) received a $3500 credit towards the purchase of the house to have all the tile work below the coping redone. We wrote in our pool inspection report that there was every reason to believe the lower water line that formed on the wall was caused by the pool water leaking out behind the damaged tile stopping when it reached that point. A simple dye test confirmed that to be true. The seller was not going to tell our client that the pool was leaking and that they had to add water every couple of days.

When our client called to thank us for such a thorough pool inspection we told him we were happy his small investment paid off big for him on his purchase. Bottom line, don’t worry about it later… it will be too late.

Atlantic Leak Detection to the Rescue!

When our Atlantic Leak Detection truck pulled up to a pool leak detection job yesterday 4 kids greeted me in the driveway like I was Santa Claus. They were all talking to me at once that they’ve had a pool leak all summer and their dad was going to close the pool because he was spending all his money on water. I laughed and told them not to worry… I said when I leave here today there will be no more pool leak and your dad will have extra money to spend for Christmas!

 
Pool Leak Detection. Pay now or pay much more later…
 
A potential customer had a leak in his pool all summer. He called us at Atlantic Leak Detection at least 3 or 4 times for advice but never hired us to take care of his pool leak.  He was warned that the pool leak needed to get resolved before the end of season.  He decided to just plug all of the pool plumbing lines, cover and winterize his swimming pool and worry about the leak repair in the spring. He said the pool leak had to be somwhere in the pool plumbing lines anyway so no water would leak past the plugs over the winter season. The only problem with that, is he guessed WRONG! Atlantic Leak Detection warned him in conversation that the pool leak may be a pool main drain leak or a pool liner leak but he was certain that it was in the other pool plumbing lines.
 
The sad conclusion was the pool leak was not in any of the lines he plugged. Hence the pool continued to drain under the cover and got so low that the liner tore away from the wall from not having water pressure and the actual wall of the pool shifted out from the soil freezing then thawing. He called us to let us know what happend and said he fixed the pool after spending over $5000 to get it back in shape. The crazy part of this pool leak detection saga is he called us back again to let us know he still had a pool leak somewhere. The crazier part is he still hasnt hired Atlantic to perform a professional pool leak detection for him to locate his pool leak! Go figure.

 
 
Interested in more information about Pool Leak Detection? Contact the Pool Leak Detection Specialists, Atlantic Leak Detection.

On Your Side: Call before you dig Why 811 is so important

Updated: Wednesday, 16 Nov 2011, 10:35 AM EST
Published : Wednesday, 16 Nov 2011, 10:04 AM EST

FAIRBORN, Ohio (WDTN) – The recent deadly explosion in Fairborn might have you thinking more about protecting your home, your neighborhood, and your loved ones. That’s why 2 News is on your side with what you can do before you dig.

Marking the lines that are underground is a colorful job that can save lives. When workers like Jim Wooten aren’t called people can die. Read The Rest Here

Interested in Reading more on Private Utility Locating? Click Here

What Is Utility Locating?

Utility Locating is the process of identifying and labeling public utility mains which are underground. These mains may include lines for telephones, electricity distribution, natural gas, cable television, fiber optics, traffic lights, street lights, storm drains, water mains, and wastewater pipes. In some locations, major oil and gas pipelines, national defense communication lines, mass transit, rail and road tunnels also compete for space underground.
Because of the many different types of materials that go into manufacturing each of these different types of underground lines, different utility detection and location methods must be used. For metal pipes and cables, this is often done with electromagnetic locating equipment consisting of a transmitter and a receiver. For other types of pipe, such as plastic or concrete, other types of radiolocation or modern ground-penetrating radar must be used.

Color Coding

Utility color codes are used for identifying existing underground utilities in construction areas with the intent of protecting them from damage during excavation.
Public utility systems are often run underground; some by the very nature of their function, others for convenience or aesthetics. Before digging, local governments often require that the underground systems’ locations be denoted and approved, if it is to be in the public right-of-way.

Because Swimming Pool Leak Detection is our specialty, the professionals at Atlantic Leak Detection are experts in locating and repairing pool leaks.  We perform year-round leak location and repair of all pools using a modern State of the Art electronic leak-locating device along with visual verification through scuba diving.  Your pool does not need to be drained to be repaired, and because we are a small, locally-owned business we can get the job done faster and cheaper than the other big companies and national franchises.

WHAT IS AN ELECTROMAGNETIC (EM) LINE LOCATOR?

Electromagnetic line locators operate by locating either a background signal or by locating a signal introduced into the utility line using a transmitter.  There are three (3) sources of background signals which can be produced. A utility line acts like a radio antenna, producing electrons which can be picked up with a receiver (Radio frequency).

How much water is my pool losing?

Calculating water surface area (Sq. Ft. of Pool):
Length of Pool x Width of Pool = Surface Area of Pool
Example: 18 x 36 = 648 square feet (water surface area)

Calculating make-up water (refilling due to leak):
(Inches of Water) x (Pool Surface Area in Sq. Ft.) x (.625) = gallons/water

Example: Oh My!!  My pool water dropped 2 inches last night.
2 x 18 x 36 x .625 = 810 gallons/water lost overnight = BIG Leak!

Pool owners have no cause to worry anymore because there are now niche businesses that specialize in pool leak detection. Because of their knowledge and experience in their specialized field, they are more than competent to identify pool leak problems, both above or in ground. But notwithstanding the availability of professionals, there are some simple pool leak detection techniques that a pool owner could do by himself or he could have done on his behalf by any member of the household.

One such pool leak detection method is the Bucket or Evaporation Test.  This basically consists of filling a bucket with pool water and comparing the rate of water loss in both the pool and bucket.  The bucket is placed on the first or second step of the pool to ensure that the variables have the same water conditions.  Then, initial water levels of the pool and the bucket are marked.  After 24 hours, the water levels are compared with the initial markings as guide. There is a possible leak in the pool if its water level becomes lower than the water inside the bucket. On the other hand, if the water levels remain to be the same, then water loss would most probably be caused by evaporation.

The Bucket Test also helps in identifying how much water the pool is losing, if indeed there is a leak.  This will give the professionals an idea on the gravity of damage, should resorting to them becomes necessary.  In order to have a good estimate on the amount of leak, the following equation would be helpful:  Pool water loss – bucket water loss = inches of water loss (to convert into gallons = inches x .62). The result is then multiplied to the pool’s surface area.  It must be noted that the results of the Bucket Test pool leak detection may not be that accurate and may vary from time to time due to weather conditions.

Another test is the Pump On-Pump Off Test.  For pool leak detection, the pool owner must conduct a bucket test when the pool pump is on; and another one when it is off.  This will help identify where the suspect leak could be found.  For example:  If water loss (pump on) is greater than water loss (pump off) = Pressure side plumbing leak; If water loss (pump on) is less than water loss (pump off) = Suction side or drain/skimmer plumbing leaks;  If water loss (pump on) = water loss (pump off) = the likelihood of the leak being in the pool shell (although plumbing leaks cannot be completely ruled out).

These are just two of several pool leak detection methods.  Others like the Dye Test and the Pressure Test are best left to the experts who are properly manned and equipped.  But before anything else, the owner has to be observant of some overt signs and symptoms of a pool liner leak.  Some of these include the sudden drop of the pool’s water level, which is faster than normal; algae growth or other water quality concerns; structural or deck damage such as cracks and loose tiles; dirt being blown into the pool through the pump; and soggy soil around the pool and pool equipment.  As pool owner, aside from water bills to worry about, non-observance of the early signs of pool leaks would make swimming pool leak detection and repairs harder and more expensive.