Pool Losing Water in Las Vegas: Evaporation or a Leak
Every Las Vegas pool loses water. In July a pool can drop a quarter inch a day to evaporation alone, and over a week that is close to two inches, which looks exactly like a leak. Most calls about leaking pools in the valley turn out to be evaporation plus an autofill that is not keeping up. The bucket test settles it in 24 hours and costs nothing.
Check these first (free)
- The bucket test: fill a bucket with pool water, set it on the top step so the bucket water and the pool water are both exposed, mark both levels with tape, turn off the autofill, and wait 24 hours with the pump running normally. If the pool dropped more than the bucket by a quarter inch or more, you have a leak. Half an inch or more and the leak is significant. Repeat the test with the pump off; if the loss stops, the leak is in the pressure side plumbing or the equipment.
- Look at the equipment pad: wet concrete under the pump, drips from the filter tank, a weeping backwash valve, or a damp spot where the heater sits. Half of real leaks are visible here.
- Check the autofill: a stuck float valve can mask a leak for months and show up only as a high water bill.
- Watch where it stops: if the water drops and then holds at a certain level, the leak is at that height. Level with the skimmer mouth means the skimmer. Level with the light means the light niche.
What a technician will check
A leak detection company will pressure test each plumbing line from the pad, use dye at the skimmer throat, light niche, returns, and main drain, and listen with electronic equipment for leaks under the deck. In Las Vegas the common culprits are the skimmer where it meets the pool shell (ground movement and heat cycling crack that joint), the conduit behind the light, and the pressure-side return lines under the deck. Cracked plaster leaks are less common here than people fear; the shell itself rarely leaks, the fittings in it do.
What it costs in Las Vegas
| Service | Las Vegas range |
|---|---|
| Leak detection visit | $200 to $500 |
| Detection with excavation or deck access | up to $1,000 |
| Skimmer throat or light niche epoxy repair | $100 to $250 |
| Equipment pad leak (union, valve, pump seal) | $75 to $350 |
| Underground pipe repair under the deck | $500 to $2,500 |
| Skimmer replacement | around $1,200 |
These are Las Vegas ranges to judge a quote by, not a quote. Detection is usually a flat fee and some companies credit it toward the repair. Repair cost depends almost entirely on access: a crack at the skimmer throat is a 30 minute epoxy job, while the same size crack in a pipe under a stamped concrete deck means cutting and patching the deck. Ask whether the quote includes deck repair, because it often does not.
When to call
Do the bucket test first. If it shows a leak, check the pad yourself, then call a leak detection specialist rather than a general pool service; it is a different trade with different equipment. Call sooner rather than later in Las Vegas because the water you are losing is metered and the valley water district treats steady runoff as waste. A pool losing half an inch a day is losing several hundred gallons, and a leak into the ground under the deck can also wash out the soil that supports it.
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