Suction And Return Lines
Each line plugged and pressure-tested on its own, which shows which run is losing water without digging any of it up.
Home/Pool Leak Detection
Pool leak detection in Bellville finds where the water is going without draining the pool to look. The suction and return lines are pressure-tested, fittings are dye-tested underwater, and each line is tested on its own so the result names the run that leaks.
Tell us how fast the level drops, whether the pool has an automatic top-up, and whether the drop changes with the pump on or off.
Most pool leaks are in the plumbing around the shell rather than the shell itself, which is why the lines are tested first.
Each line plugged and pressure-tested on its own, which shows which run is losing water without digging any of it up.
The joint between the skimmer box and the shell, a common crack point, checked with dye while the water is still.
Conduit and fitting penetrations through the shell, where water follows the cable or the pipe out of the pool.
Float valves that stick open, or that mask a leak by quietly replacing whatever the pool loses.
Unions, multiport valves and the pump lid, which leak at the equipment rather than in the pool.
Structural and surface cracks located and marked, so repair is limited to the damaged area rather than the whole finish.
The City charges household water in steps. From 1 July 2026 the first 6 kl cost R25.42 a kilolitre, use between 10.5 and 35 kl costs R52.20, and every kilolitre above 35 costs R100.71. The steps fill in order, so the cheap ones are used up by cooking, washing and showers long before the month is over.
That changes what a pool leak costs. Water lost from the pool is not billed at an average rate. It lands on top of everything else the household has already used, which means it is charged at the highest step the account reaches that month. For many households that is the R52.20 step, and for a busy one it is the R100.71 step.
A worked example shows the difference. A household using 30 kl a month, with a pool losing 24 kl a month through a leak, finishes the month on 54 kl. The first 5 kl of the leak are charged at R52.20 and the remaining 19 kl at R100.71, which adds about R2,174 in water alone. At an average rate the same leak would look far cheaper than it is.
The leak itself usually sits in the plumbing rather than the shell: a suction or return line under the paving, the throat of the skimmer, a light niche or a fitting on the pump. Each line can be pressure-tested on its own with the pool full, which names the leaking run without digging up the rest.
Price a pool leak at your top step, not your average. Read the bill for the step you finish the month on, and that is what every lost kilolitre is costing you.
Draining a pool to look for a leak is costly and can damage the shell. Everything here is done with the water in.
Lines and fittings are tested with the pool full, so there is no refill and no risk to the shell.
Each pipe run is tested on its own, so the result names a line rather than a general area.
A failed underground line is located and marked, so any dig is short and in the right place.
A short report of what was tested, what passed and what failed, with photographs.
It is quoted as a fixed fee for testing the lines and fittings, agreed before the visit. Repairs are priced separately once the leak has been found. How call-outs and labour are charged is explained on the plumber prices page.
Some loss to evaporation is normal, and it is highest on hot, windy days. A loss that stays high in cool, still weather, or that continues with the top-up isolated, points to a leak.
No. Lines are pressure-tested and fittings are dye-tested with the pool full. Draining is expensive, wastes water and can damage the shell if the ground water is high.
Pressure-testing each line answers that. If every line holds pressure and the pool still loses water, attention moves to the shell, the skimmer throat and the light niches.
More than an average rate suggests. Lost pool water sits on top of the household's own use, so it is charged at the highest tariff step the account reaches that month.
A steady underground leak can soften the ground around the pool and under paving, and in some cases undermine it. That is one reason to test the lines rather than simply keep topping up.
Air in the basket usually means the suction side is drawing in air through a leak, a loose lid or a worn O-ring.
Pipe and fitting leaks are repaired as plumbing work. Structural shell repairs and re-finishing are specialist pool work, and the findings report gives that specialist exactly where to look.
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Pool dropping, or a top-up that never switches off? Send the details and we will come back with a fixed price to test it.