For non-homeowners, the efforts required to waterproof a house’s swimming pool may come as a surprising afterthought. After all, it be counterintuitive to see the need to waterproof a surface that is housing a body of water. Additionally, it has been widely cited within the construction industry that only about 1% of all construction related costs for a home are dedicated towards waterproofing. However, water related damages account for about 80% of all defects. Where a surface is exposed to weather elements such as rain or hail, we are better able to visualise how wear and tear could wear down our house’s structure. But what about swimming pools? We hardly witness a huge impact landing on the swimming pool’s structure. As such, we don’t contemplate the importance of waterproofing it. In this article, we aim to take you through the steps required to check for water leakages from your swimming pool.
To start, the waterproofing structure of your pool is compromised over time as it develops faults due to constant pressure from both internal and external sources. Small cracks do appear over time thus requiring you to maintain regular vigilance. A simple indicator of a leak is your pool’s water levels. Strictly speaking, your pool should not lose more than two inches of water in a week. Amounts in excess of this indicator could be a tell tale sign of a leak. To conduct a more rigorous check, you may mark the side of your pool before cordoning it off. Check back in 24 hours to see if water levels have dropped and by how much. A method to verify would be upkeep costs in the form of your water utilities bill. If your bill experiences a spike that cannot be explained by other factors within your household, then it is likely that your swimming pool is experiencing a leak.
The next question that you need to answer is where the leak is. Areas of your swimming pool that are vulnerable to leakage include that of gaps or seals. As such you should first inspect the filter, pump, heater and pipe valves. If you do not find anything at miss during this first round of inspection, the fault may lie in the membrane of your swimming pool. To check this aspect, run a bottle of food colouring into your pool. Observe where the coloured dye builds up at as this is an indication of a crack.
If you have determined that your swimming pool is leaking, then it is time to engage a swimming pool waterproofing service contractor. Swimming pools are complex structures that require professional expertise when waterproofing. Attempting to fix the problem yourself could lead to further complications down the road. As such, do not hesitate to engage experienced help.