Pool Leak Detection in Sacramento for Pools and Spas

Every pool loses some water to evaporation, more in July than in January. The bucket test tells evaporation from a leak, and it costs nothing. Water agencies such as the Southern Nevada Water Authority recommend this version:

• Turn off the automatic fill valve.
• Set a bucket on a pool step with its rim a few inches above the water. Weight it, then fill it until the water inside matches the pool level.
• Leave both alone for a few hot days.
• If the pool level has dropped noticeably more than the water in the bucket, you may be losing water to a leak.

Run it once with the pump on and once with it off. Comparing the two helps tell a plumbing leak from a leak in the shell, so tell Jordan both results when you call.

Most of a pool's plumbing is out of sight: the lines between the pool and the equipment pad, the skimmers and returns, and the fittings at the pump and filter. Jordan pressure tests the lines and uses electronic detection to find which one is losing water, so the deck only gets opened where the leak is.

Skimmers and returns

Skimmer and return lines are common places for a leak, and some repairs there can only be done from inside the pool. Jordan does in-water repairs, with scuba gear when the job needs it.

Underground pool lines

A buried line can leak with nothing to see on the surface except a pool that needs topping up. Pressure testing isolates the line. Once the spot is found, the repair is a small dig in a known place instead of a trench along the whole run.

Spas and hot tubs

Spa and hot tub plumbing gets the same treatment: test the lines, find the leak, repair it.

Some local water rules name pools directly.

• Roseville's water conservation code says all leaks, pools included, must be repaired within five calendar days, even in the city's lowest conservation stage.
• Sacramento Suburban Water District requires known leaks to be repaired within seven days, and pools and spas to be leak-proof.
• Roseville's Leak Repair Program (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027) pays 50% of eligible repair costs, up to $750, and lists pool auto-fill leaks as an eligible repair. The leak has to be verified by the City before work starts, and the labor has to be done by a licensed contractor, such as a C-36 plumber like Jordan.
• The City of Sacramento's leak repair rebate covers verified continuous leaks and can include private leak detection. It does not say whether a pool leak qualifies, so call the City's Water Conservation team at 916-808-5605 before booking.

Jordan shows you where the leak is and what it will take to fix, with a price, before any repair starts. Then he repairs it, and the system is run after the repair so you can see it working. Line, equipment and spa repairs are covered on the pool repair page, and leaks inside the house or under the slab on the leak detection page.