Professional leak detector John Wainscott arrived at the Haines swimming pool Wednesday afternoon hoping to locate and assess what Haines staff claim is an improperly installed pool liner.

“He’s running a few tests,” public facilities director Ed Coffland said Wednesday. “He said he might get his diving suit on and get in there and figure out.”

Wainscott was sent by RenoSys, the contractors hired to install new drainage, floors and showers over the fall and summer. When the company installed a new liner, Coffland believes they failed to properly seal around the drain in the deep end, causing it to leak up to 15 gallons of water a day into the basement below.

RenoSys hired Wainscott to travel to Haines and assess the problem.

Wainscott, owner of Wainscott Leak Detection out of Indianapolis, has been in business for 35 years, according to his website.

“I can find a leak with a garden hose and a coat hanger,” he wrote in his bio. “It’s not the fancy equipment that finds the leak, it’s an understanding of the leak and the physics and hydraulics it takes to find it.”

Wainscott was slated to arrive in Haines three days earlier, but was rerouted back to Seattle becuase of foul weather in Juneau, then later was held up in Juneau due to bad weather in Haines.

According to Coffland, he has no return ticket yet. “Hopefully he’s going to be able to figure out what needs to be done and maybe even fix it,” he said. “He said he’s going to stay here until he fixes what needs to be done.”

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