Pool service keeps your pool running. Pool leak detection finds why it is losing water. These are different specialties with different tools, and knowing which one to call saves time and money.
The question comes up constantly: should I call my pool service company or a pool leak detection company? The answer depends on what the problem is -- and understanding the difference between the two specialties makes the right call obvious.
A pool service company's job is to keep your pool clean, chemically balanced, and mechanically functioning. That includes testing and adjusting water chemistry, cleaning filters and baskets, checking pump and motor operation, brushing walls and vacuuming the floor, and identifying obvious equipment issues. Pool service technicians are trained for maintenance and are very good at it.
What they are not equipped for: finding a leak. Pool service companies do not typically carry acoustic hydrophones, water pressure testing manifolds, electronic pipe locators, or trace gas equipment. When a customer has confirmed water loss that the service company cannot trace, the professional response is to refer to a leak detection specialist.
A pool leak detection specialist is focused on one problem: why is the pool losing water and where is it coming from? The diagnostic sequence includes acoustic hydrophone listening at every pool fitting, water pressure testing of each plumbing line individually, pipe locating to map underground runs, dye testing to confirm structural leaks visually, acoustic ground microphone listening along the pipe path, and trace gas when needed for underground breaks that acoustic methods cannot detect. The output is a confirmed finding documented in writing.
Many pool service companies in South Florida maintain referral relationships with Leak and Subsurface Locators. When their customers have water loss the service company cannot diagnose, they call Sandra at LSL. The leak is found, documented, and repaired. The pool service company resumes maintenance. The two specialties serve different needs and do not compete -- they complement each other throughout the pool's service life.
Free Homeowner Resources from Leak Business Academy
Licensed CPC1457277. Full tool stack. Written documentation. Call Sandra to schedule.
Some pool service companies offer basic dye testing as part of their service. Dye testing can find structural leaks at visible pool fittings -- but it cannot find underground pipe breaks. If your water loss is from a buried pipe, dye testing will show nothing and you will be told there is no leak. For a complete diagnosis including underground plumbing, a dedicated leak detection specialist with the full tool stack is required.
Not required, but helpful. Your service company may have useful observations about the pool -- recent equipment changes, when the water loss seemed to start, whether the autofill has been running more than usual. Sharing those observations when you call LSL gives the technician useful context before the visit.
After a plumbing repair, the pool chemistry should be checked and adjusted because the repair process may have disturbed water balance. The pool service company handles that. If the repair involved opening the deck, dust and debris may have entered the water, which the service company addresses during their next maintenance visit.