If you've owned a pool in DFW for a few years, you've probably dealt with at least one leak. It's not a coincidence. There are a few specific reasons why pools in this area develop leaks at a higher rate than most other parts of the country.
The Soil Under Your Pool
Most of DFW sits on expansive clay soil. Locals call it black gumbo. When it rains, this soil soaks up water and swells. When it dries out in the summer heat, it contracts and shrinks. This cycle of expanding and contracting never really stops, and it puts constant stress on everything in the ground including your pool shell, plumbing lines, and skimmer connections.
Over time, that movement causes hairline cracks in gunite shells, loosens fittings at the equipment pad, and shifts skimmer bodies just enough to let water past the seal. None of these are catastrophic on their own, but they all turn into leaks.
The Temperature Range
DFW summers regularly hit 100 degrees or more for weeks at a stretch. Winters occasionally bring hard freezes. That's a wide temperature swing for pool materials to handle. PVC plumbing cracks in freezes. Equipment seals dry out and fail in extreme heat. Plaster and gunite expand and contract with every season. It adds up.
Pool Age
A large number of pools in Flower Mound, Southlake, Colleyville, and the surrounding cities were built during the 1980s and 90s housing boom. Those pools are now 30 to 40 years old. Plaster, fittings, skimmer bodies, and underground plumbing all have a lifespan. Pools of this age start to see multiple systems fail around the same time.
Where Leaks Usually Start
- Skimmer bodies cracking or pulling away from the shell
- Underground return and suction lines shifting with the soil
- Cracks in the gunite shell from ground movement
- Loose fittings and unions at the equipment pad
- Worn seals around lights and drains
Why You Want to Catch It Early
Here's the part that catches people off guard. When a pool leaks into DFW clay soil, that soil absorbs the water and softens. Soft clay loses its load-bearing capacity. Pool decks settle. Coping cracks. In serious cases, the shell itself can shift. A leak that gets ignored through one Texas summer can turn a straightforward repair into a much bigger project by fall.
Noticed something off with your pool?
Call Excelsior Pool Services. Free estimates for Flower Mound and all of DFW.
(469) 496-6425