Leak Repairs
Has your pool started needing more water to maintain the proper water level? Especially if the weather hasn't been particularly hot or dry lately, a 'thirsty' pool is often a portent of a leak somewhere. If you're not sure, here's a simple test.
Get yourself a bucket, and set it on the top step of your pool. Fill it with just enough water that the water level is the same on the inside and outside of your bucket. Come back in 48 hours -- if the water level is noticeably lower outside of the bucket than inside, it's not just evaporation: you have a leak.
Generally, as soon as you realize you have a leak, you should call a company that does pool repairs Woodland Hills Pool Service, for example. Finding a leak can take hours of effort if you don't know precisely what you're looking for, and the chances are that even if you can find it, you're not going to be able to do much about it.
If you want to give it a shot while you wait for the crew to show up, though, there are a few steps you can take. First, walk around the pool. If you come across a spot that's mushier than the rest, the chances are decent your leak is somewhere around where you're standing. Particularly if the plants in the soft spot are brown or look unhealthy -- that's a pretty sure sign that there is chlorinated water getting into the water table.
Once you have a suspicion about where the leak is, you can sometimes narrow it down by putting a few drops of food color into the pool right next to the wall you suspect to be cracked. Sit back and watch it for a few minutes and see if it drifts toward the wall. If it does, you've got your culprit!
If the crew won't be there for a couple of days -- all too frequent during the season of heavy pool service in Tarzana and the other Valley neighborhoods -- try shutting off the pump, and doing the bucket test again. If it looses less water this time, you can tell the crew you strongly suspect that the leak is somewhere in the pipes rather than in the pool wall itself.
Finally, before the team gets there, you should clean the pool thoroughly. Alternately, make a separate appointment the day before with a good pool cleaner -- Sherman Oaks (and most other) pool repair crews don't do the cleaning; they're a specialized mob. A pool that isn't crystal clear can make it much harder to find a leak.
The good news is that if you call the repair crew as soon as you realize you have a leak, you it may keep problems to a minimum. Concrete, vinyl, and fiberglass pools can all be repaired the earlier the problem is found the better.
