Find the leak first. Then fix only that.
Nobody should cut concrete on a guess. We locate leaks with pressure tests, dye, and listening gear, and you get the findings in writing whether or not we do the repair.
Call (443) 364-3676Start with the bucket test
Before you pay anyone, spend 24 hours on this. Set a bucket of water on the top step, mark the water level inside the bucket and the pool level outside it, and wait a day with the pump running normally. If the pool dropped noticeably more than the bucket, you have a leak. If they dropped the same, that is evaporation, and a central Mississippi summer can pull off close to a quarter inch a day on its own.
What a detection visit looks like
- Pressure testing the plumbing. Each line gets isolated and pressurized. A line that will not hold pressure has the leak; a plumbing system that holds points us back at the shell.
- Dye testing the shell. Slow-motion dye near suspect spots: cracks, fittings, the skimmer throat, light niches, the main drain. Dye pulls visibly into an active leak.
- Listening equipment. For underground line leaks, we locate the spot acoustically so a dig, if one is needed, is a square yard and not a trench across the yard.
Why leaks are urgent on clay
Around Jackson a leak does double damage. You pay for the water and the chemicals, and the escaping water soaks the clay next to the shell. Yazoo clay swells when it gets wet, so the leak literally feeds the soil movement that cracks shells and tilts decks. A slow leak left through one wet spring can turn a $500 fix into a structural job.
What it costs
| Service | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Detection visit with written findings | $350 to $650 |
| Fitting or skimmer leak repair | $300 to $1,200 |
| Underground line repair (located first) | $800 to $2,800 |
| Shell crack repair if that is the source | see crack repair |
If we do the repair, half the detection fee comes off the repair bill. Full ranges are on the cost guide.