Products for a Pool Leak

If your pool is leaking, you'll probably need some repair products to stop it.colorful pool toy floating in a summer pool image by Jorge Moro from Fotolia.com

A leaky pool results in off balance water chemistry, higher utility bills and a big inconvenience. Pools can develop leaks in many different areas, and finding the leaks is a difficult task. Once you locate them, you'll need the proper products to fix the leak properly or your repairs will prove temporary at best. Several pool leak products are around to help you remedy this situation.

Leak Detection Syringe

Finding the leak in your pool is one of the toughest parts of leak repair. A large leak is probably obvious, but even the tiniest leak is a real problem and very difficult to detect. Use a dye testing kit to locate the leak in your pool. This simple diagnostic method involves using a dark-colored dye that shows up well in the pool water and injecting it from a syringe near the suspected leak areas. With the pump turned off and the water still, the dye will float freely if there is no leak around, but will move toward any leak and eventually get sucked out, according to the DIY Pool repair website.

For leaks found in the wall of your pool or around plumbing, pool putty is an easy fix. Once you have located the leak, this epoxy product is easily worked with your hands to form a smooth and hardly noticeable seal over the leaky area. The putty works equally as well above or below the water line and is smoothed out so that only an extreme up-close inspection will reveal any difference in the pool. Putty of this type usually comes in a stick and is either white or blue to match the pool surface. Quick drying versions can harden in as little as five minutes, while others may take 20 to 30 minutes.

A common place where leaks occur in pools is around light fixtures. Underwater lights meant to illuminate the pool may seep water around the edge and trickle down behind the light and escape around the hole where the power cord connects to the bulb. Cord stoppers fit around the cords coming into the light and plug the hole tightly, sealing it and making it airtight. This product eliminates the need for silicone or putty around the fixtures, according to the G and P Tools website.

Butyl tape is a leak repair product that replaces the need for caulk guns or mixing of other putty-like sealers. This product comes in strips and is more easily tucked around leaky gaps that occur around lights or plumbing.