Pipe repair

When you need it

• A pressure test has shown that a specific line loses pressure.
• The pump will not prime or flow has dropped, and the cause has been traced to air entering on the suction side. Pentair's pump manual lists air leaks in the suction piping as a cause of both priming failure and reduced flow.
• There are visible leaks at unions, valves or joints in the plant room.
• Fittings where pipes pass through the pool wall, such as returns, skimmers and light conduits, are leaking.

How a specialist does it

1. Confirm the location. A repair should start from a confirmed test result. LeakTronics describes tracing the pipe route with a line locator, injecting low-pressure air and listening with a ground microphone, then marking the spot.
2. Choose the repair method. Once a leak is pinpointed, LeakTronics names two routes: open one spot in the deck, or reline the pipe with a trenchless repair system. Which fits depends on the pipe material and size, its depth, the surface above and how much of the line is damaged.
3. Treat penetrations properly. Where a pipe passes through the concrete shell, Mapei points out that the gap between the pipe and the concrete is a preferential path for water, in pools under repair as much as in new builds. Its guidance shows a groove cut around the pipe, filled with a water-expanding sealant, primed and reinstated with repair mortar.
4. Retest before closing. The repaired line should be pressure tested again before backfilling and reinstating paving or tiles.
5. Reinstate and restart. The surface is put back, the system restarted and checked for air in the pump and normal pressure at the filter.

Many plant room repairs are simpler: replacing a union, a valve, a cracked fitting or a short section of pipe. The same rule applies afterwards: test it.

What to ask before you hire

• What evidence shows this is the leaking line, and where exactly is the leak?
• Will you open the deck, reline the pipe or reroute it, and why that option?
• How will you seal the pipe where it passes through the pool shell?
• Will you pressure test after the repair and show me the result?
• Who reinstates the paving, tiles or planting, and to what standard?
• What warranty do you give on the repair, and is it in writing?

UAE notes

Villa gardens often have irrigation lines, cables and drainage close to pool pipework. Ask whether the specialist will check for other services before digging.

In shared buildings and podium pools, pipes may run through ceilings or service voids that belong to other owners or to the building. Check with building management about access, permissions and permitted working hours before any opening up.

If your pool has approved drawings or as-built records, ask the developer or building manager for the pipe layout. It helps the specialist avoid exploratory openings.

Pipe repair is rarely visible once finished, so documentation matters. Ask for photos of the opened section, the repair and the retest gauge reading before the surface is closed.