Monmouth Junction NJ Pool Leak Case Study: Two Year Leak Pinpointed Beneath the Lawn

Case Summary:A homeowner in Monmouth Junction, NJ had been dealing with a vinyl liner pool that was losing approximately one inch of water per day. The problem had continued for nearly two years, forcing him to repeatedly add water and absorb increasing water bills while several companies attempted to locate the source.

A previous pressure test by the homeowner’s pool company indicated that an underground line was broken. However, the homeowner was not told which line was leaking or where the break was located. According to his Google review, other companies were unable to pinpoint the problem, and some discussed opening portions of the concrete patio at a potential cost of thousands of dollars.

The First Issue We Found Was Not the Primary Problem

Within a few minutes of arriving, we found a failed check valve near the pool equipment. The valve was allowing water to move in the wrong direction and reach a separate damaged pipe near the chlorinator. This was a real problem that needed to be addressed, but the symptoms did not fully explain the pool’s ongoing loss of approximately one inch per day.

Stopping after the first finding could have produced an incomplete diagnosis. We continued evaluating the pool and its plumbing to determine whether another issue was responsible for all that water loss.

Pressure Testing Confirmed a Broken Deep End Skimmer Line

Additional testing made us suspicious of the deep-end skimmer line. We isolated and pressure tested that line individually, confirming that it was broken underground.

Confirming the skimmer line was broken answered only part of the question. The break still had to be pinpointed before the correct area could be opened.

An Unusual Path Through Damaged Electrical Conduit

As water was introduced to the pipe during the pressure test, it began appearing from an electrical junction box beneath the diving board and near a receptacle by the pool equipment. Seeing water emerge through electrical conduit in two different locations created an unusual and misleading symptom. It appeared that the underground pipe could be broken in more than one area.

We continued testing instead of assuming that either electrical location marked the pipe break. Eventually, the water surfaced through the grass immediately outside the concrete patio, allowing us to pinpoint the exact area of the broken skimmer line.

Pressure-test water surfacing directly over the break, followed by the exposed broken skimmer pipe and damaged electrical conduit.

The Repair Confirmed Why Water Appeared in Multiple Locations

We returned the following day and opened the pinpointed area to make the repair. The broken deep-end skimmer pipe was located exactly where the testing had indicated, allowing the line to be repaired without touching the concrete patio around the pool.

The opening also revealed that an electrical conduit had been damaged beside the skimmer pipe. Water from the pressure test had entered the broken conduit and traveled through it before appearing at the junction box and near the pool equipment. The conduit had acted as an underground pathway, which explained the confusing symptoms observed during testing.

The Result

After nearly two years of unexplained water loss, the pool leak was pinpointed and repaired. The digging was limited to the grass immediately outside the patio because the break was located before the area was opened. No concrete patio sections had to be disturbed to reach the damaged skimmer line.

The homeowner posted a Google review after the repair, explaining that many services had tried unsuccessfully to locate the leak and that some proposed randomly opening the patio at a cost of thousands of dollars. He wrote that APLD “not only located the leak but also successfully repaired the leak all done within 2 days at very reasonable cost.”

What This Monmouth Junction Case Shows

• Confirming that a plumbing line is broken is not the same as identifying which line is actually leaking and pinpointing where it is broken.
• The first problem discovered may be separate from the primary cause of the reported water loss.
• Water can travel underground and emerge far from a broken pool pipe, making precision key in pinpointing underground pipe breaks.
• Multiple wet areas do not necessarily mean that multiple underground pool lines are broken.
• Accurate pinpointing can prevent unnecessary concrete work and limit the repair area to the location of the actual break.

Pool Leak Detection and Repair in Monmouth Junction NJ

APLD provides professional pool leak detection and underground pool plumbing repair in Monmouth Junction and throughout Middlesex County. We test individual plumbing lines and use specialized equipment to pinpoint underground breaks before any patio is opened or any digging is considered.

Contact APLD or call 732-333-3304 to request an appointment in Monmouth Junction, NJ.

You can also learn more about our pool plumbing pressure testing, view our Middlesex County service area, or review additional pool leak case studies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Caused This Pool to Lose Approximately One Inch per Day?

The primary source of the water loss was a broken underground deep-end skimmer line. A failed check valve and a separate damaged pipe near the chlorinator were also found, but they did not explain the pool’s primary water loss.

Why Did Water Come Out of Electrical Conduit During the Pressure Test?

The electrical conduit was damaged near the broken skimmer pipe. Water introduced during pressure testing entered the conduit and traveled through it before appearing at two other locations.

Did Water Appearing in Multiple Locations Mean There Were Multiple Broken Pool Lines?

No. In this case, one broken skimmer line produced water that traveled underground and through the damaged conduit. The multiple visible locations made pinpointing more difficult, but they did not prove that several pool lines were broken.

Was the Concrete Pool Patio Opened for the Repair?

No. The skimmer-line break was pinpointed beneath the grass immediately outside the concrete patio. The repair was completed through that targeted opening without disturbing the concrete surrounding the pool.

Can Pressure Testing Show Exactly Where an Underground Pool Pipe Is Broken?

Pressure testing confirms whether an individual plumbing line is leaking. Additional pinpointing methods are then used to narrow down the location of the break before the area is opened.