It's the first question most homeowners ask, and it deserves a straight answer. The honest one: leak detection is priced by the job, because pools vary — but the factors that drive the price are simple, and a hidden leak almost always costs more than finding it. Here's how to think about it.
What determines the cost
Pool size and complexity. A basic rectangle with one skimmer and two returns takes less time to test than a free-form pool with an attached spa, in-floor cleaning system, water features, and six plumbing circuits. More lines means more isolation and pressure testing.
How many leaks there are. Roughly a third of the pools we test have more than one leak. Each gets located and documented.
Whether repair happens on the same trip. Many common repairs — skimmer separations, return fittings, light niche seals — can be completed the same visit once located. Same-trip repair saves you a second service call.
Where you are. Inside our Greater Houston core area, standard rates apply. Extended-route cities are grouped into travel days to keep trip costs reasonable — mention scheduling flexibility when you call and we'll slot you into the next route.
What a professional visit includes
When you book with us, the diagnostic covers the entire system — not just the spot you suspect:
- Equipment pad inspection — pump seals, filter, heater, valves, and fittings under pressure
- Plumbing pressure testing — every line isolated and tested against a gauge
- Acoustic location — failed lines traced to the leak point, marked above ground within a few feet
- Dye and shell testing — skimmers, returns, lights, and visible cracks checked in the water
- Written findings — what's leaking, where, and a written quote to fix it
You get a definitive answer in one visit, not a guess.
The real question: what does the leak cost you?
Run the numbers on doing nothing. A modest leak losing a quarter inch a day from an average Houston pool is roughly 70 gallons a day — over 2,000 gallons a month. That's water you pay for, chemicals you pay to treat it, and heat you pay to warm it, all going into the ground.
And the water bill is the cheap part. Sustained leaks undermine pool decks, erode soil support around the shell, corrode equipment pads, and in slab-adjacent plumbing can threaten the house itself. We've seen $200 fitting repairs that were quoted years earlier get deferred into four-figure deck and structural work.
Why "cheap" guesses cost more
The expensive way to fix a pool leak is to guess. Replacing a pump seal that wasn't leaking, re-plastering a shell that was fine, or digging up a healthy line because the wet spot was twenty feet from the actual leak — we regularly meet homeowners who spent more on wrong guesses than a full diagnostic would have cost.
Detection done right means you pay to fix what is actually broken — once.
Get a real number for your pool
Call us at (281) 252-4233 with your pool's basics — size, spa or no spa, how fast it's dropping — and we'll give you a straight answer on cost before you book. Or book online and we'll confirm everything up front. No surprises, repairs guaranteed in writing.
Not sure it's a leak yet? Run the bucket test first — it's free and takes 24–48 hours.