Water Leaks Near HOA and Apartment Pools in Phoenix

Start by sorting whose leak it is. The pool system is everything that serves the water in the pool: the shell, pumps, filters, heaters, the fill line, the backwash and overflow lines and the deck drains. A pool specialist handles all of that. The domestic system is the property's drinking water service: the lines that pass near the pool on their way to a clubhouse, a restroom building or a landscape area, the hose bibs on the deck walls, and the backflow assemblies on that service. HQ works on the domestic side only.

A wet strip that stays wet with the pool equipment off, or a meter that moves overnight, often points at the domestic side. If the trail leads into the pool system instead, we say so and a pool specialist takes it from there. That keeps you from paying two vendors to point at each other.

EPA's leak guidance for commercial buildings is a good checklist: look and listen for water flowing where it should not, and check wet spots on sidewalks, parking lots and grass. If soggy ground is unexpected, find out whether a distribution line is leaking. Near a pool, the signs get specific.

• Soft or sunken ground along a walkway or lawn where a water line runs.
• A wet patch that shows up in the same spot every morning, before any irrigation runs.
• A hose bib on a deck wall that drips or sprays from the stem or the vacuum breaker.
• A water meter that moves overnight with the pool equipment and irrigation off.
• A backflow assembly that weeps from its relief valve or a test cock.

A high bill with no clear cause is the other common sign. Read the meter at close and again at open. If it moves while nothing should be running, water is leaking somewhere, and leak detection narrows down where. EPA also suggests submeters on irrigation and other major water uses, which makes the next leak easier to spot on a large property.

Leak location on a property's water service generally works by elimination. A tech closes valves to split the system into sections, watches which section loses pressure, and then listens along that section with acoustic equipment to pinpoint the spot before anything is dug. The goal is a small, targeted hole instead of a trench across the deck. For larger sites, commercial leak detection covers the method in more depth.

Permits depend on what the repair turns into. Phoenix's amendments to the building code say stopping a leak in water pipe needs no permit. If a concealed pipe is defective and has to be removed and replaced with new material, that is new work, and it needs a permit and an inspection. We tell you which one applies before work starts. When the failed section is the main service line itself, commercial water line repair covers that job.

EPA's cross-connection manual lists a swimming pool among the fixtures with direct connections that are plumbing hazards. That is why the hose bibs on deck walls deserve attention. A hose left lying in the pool or a bucket can pull water back toward the drinking water supply if pressure drops, and a hose bibb vacuum breaker stops that by venting to the air. We replace failed vacuum breakers and worn hose bibs. See hose bibb vacuum breakers for how they work, and a leaking outdoor faucet for the usual repair.

Backflow assemblies on the property's domestic service need an annual test and a record. In Phoenix, City Code 37-143 puts that on the water customer, meaning whoever controls the water system, and results go to the city on its forms. We test, repair and replace domestic assemblies and file results with the city. Fire system assemblies are not part of our work. For the schedule side, see commercial backflow testing, HOA irrigation backflow testing and apartment complex backflow testing.

Call a pool specialist first if the pool level drops while the fill is off, if water collects only around the equipment pad, or if the leak is at a pump, filter, heater or valve on the pool's circulation system. The same goes for the fill line, the backwash or overflow line and the deck drains: those are part of the pool system, and a pool specialist handles them. Call us first if the ground is wet along a domestic line, a hose bib or backflow assembly is leaking, or your meter runs with the pool equipment and irrigation off.

If you are unsure, tell us what you see. A photo and a meter reading usually sort it out.

Call with the property name, where the water appears and when you first saw it. We offer 24/7 emergency service for leaks that are spreading, free estimates and an upfront price before work starts. Property managers can set up routine service through our property manager plumbing program. More on multifamily plumbing and HOA plumbing.