This is a question we get at least once a year. In this post we will address this common question for pool owners along with:
- Do termites eat pool pipes?
- Why do termites damage pool lines?
- How do I protect my pool lines from termites?
Let’s start with the main question: Do termites eat pool pipes?
Termites don’t eat pool pipes. BUT, they do drill holes in the lines in search of water. Here are some photos of the typical damage to the pipes. You can see the holes are perpendicular to the pipe wall, typical termite damage does not follow the grain of the wood.
Why do termites eat holes in pool pipes?
Termites need water to keep their tunnels humid. In most cases the moisture in soil is plenty, but they will also use areas near water sources, like gutters or other near surface water, to augment the moisture for the tunnel system. The thought is that the pipes to a pool are both near to the surface where termites forage and have surface condensation on the exterior of the pipes from the constant movement of water through the pipe that is cooler than the outside soil temperature. The plastic pipe is then “sweating” in the soil. It is not actually sweat, but the humid warmer air condensing on the cooler pipe. Termites going after this moisture bore into the surface under the moisture, which is the pipe, eventually opening a pin sized hole (or pin sized holes) in the pipe.
How do I protect my pool pipes from termites?
The good news is that the Sentricon Termite Colony Elimination system can protect all of your property from termites. It works by eliminating termite colonies. It is environmentally friendly and is an inspectable device. We simply expand the service area from your house to cover the area around the pool to prevent pipe damage.
