Do the bucket test first. Fill a bucket with pool water, stand it on a step so the levels match, and compare the drop over 24 hours.
Equal loss is evaporation. A bigger drop in the pool is a leak. Full service list at Leak Detection Durban.
Send your bucket test result and roughly how much water you lose a week.
Get a Pool Leak QuoteShell or Pipework
Where the level stops dropping tells you a great deal. Stops at the skimmer: the skimmer or its throat. Stops at a light or a return: that fitting. Keeps dropping to the floor: the shell or the main drain line. Drops faster with the pump running: a pressure-side pipe leak.
How Pool Leaks Are Found
- Pressure testing each line separately to prove which circuit fails.
- Electronic shell scanning, which passes a current through the water to find breaches in the lining.
- Dye testing at fittings, cracks and the skimmer throat.
- Acoustic listening on buried pool pipework under paving.
Pool Leak Detection Prices in Durban
| Job | Indicative range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Pool leak detection | R1,450 – R2,800 | Includes call-out and first hour. |
| Full pressure test, all lines | R1,800 – R3,800 | Suction, return and cleaner lines. |
| Electronic shell scan | R2,200 – R4,500 | Fibreglass and marbelite linings. |
| Detection and repair combined | R6,500 – R13,500+ | Typical Durban range. |
| Skimmer or fitting repair | R1,800 – R5,500 | Depending on access. |
| Underground pool pipe repair | R2,500 – R8,500 | Plus paving reinstatement. |
| Crack repair in the shell | R2,400 – R9,500 | Structural repairs cost more. |
| Paving reinstatement | R450 – R1,400 per m² | Matching old paving costs more. |
These are indicative market ranges, not a quotation. They are compiled from published South African leak detection and plumbing pricing to give you a starting point for budgeting. They are not the rate card of any company on this platform.
Pool top-up water counts as a convenience fixture, so it falls outside undetected-leak cover. There is no recovering the water, which is the argument for finding the leak early.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know my pool is leaking and not evaporating?
The bucket test. Fill a bucket with pool water, place it on a step so the inside and outside levels match, and compare after 24 hours. If the pool has dropped more than the bucket, you have a leak.
Does the pool need to be drained?
No, and it should not be. Draining a pool in Durban's ground conditions risks the shell lifting, and most detection methods work better with the pool full.
Can I claim the lost water back from the municipality?
Generally no. Pools, ponds and automatic filling systems are treated as convenience fixtures, so an undetected-leak claim will not cover the top-up water.
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