Pool Main Drain Leak Repair in Katy, TX – Before & After
If a pool in Katy keeps losing water even with the pump switched off, the main drain line is one of the first places we look. In this Katy project, Orbit Pool Leak Detection traced a steady water loss to a failed main drain fitting buried beneath the pool, repaired it, and verified the fix with pressure testing. A leaking main drain rarely resolves on its own — it keeps washing soil out from under the pool and quietly running up the water bill until the line is properly repaired. Because the main drain sits at the deepest point of the pool and its plumbing runs underground, finding the exact break takes professional pressure testing and a precise, targeted dig — never random excavation. At Orbit, underground pool plumbing is our specialty. We provide expert pool leak detection and main drain repair across Katy and the surrounding west Houston area.
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How the Main Drain Works — and Why It Leaks
The main drain pulls water from the very bottom of the pool and feeds it to the filter and pump, making it central to healthy circulation. When the underground line cracks, a fitting fails, or a glued joint separates, water escapes continuously into the soil below — and in Katy, the area’s expansive clay, which swells and shrinks through every wet-and-dry cycle, is one of the most common reasons those buried joints finally give way. Common causes:- Ground movement in Katy’s clay-heavy soil
- Cracked PVC fittings
- Separated underground pipe joints
- Aging plumbing past its lifespan
- Poor original installation
How to Tell Your Main Drain Is Leaking
Watch for:- The pool keeps dropping even when the equipment is off — a classic main-drain clue
- Air pulling into the circulation system
- Weak or uneven water flow
- Soft, wet, or sinking ground near the pool
- Water bills climbing with no clear reason
What We Did on This Katy Project
Once pressure testing confirmed the leak was on the main drain line, we opened only the ground directly over the failure point, keeping the excavation as small as possible. The repair included:- Targeted excavation over the confirmed leak
- Exposing and locating the cracked underground fitting
- Cutting out the failed PVC section
- Installing new fittings and pipe
- Sealing and securing every joint
- Re-pressure-testing to confirm zero water loss
