Help! The pool is leaking

This is a common statement from clients and often water loss may be due to evaporation, not from a leak in the pool. 

So, before you begin to panic about the cost of plumbing repairs or a liner replacement, use the following steps to determine if your pool is leaking by performing a bucket test.  Providing our service department with the information from your bucket test may save you $$$.

Typical evaporation will see a quarter inch of water loss per day. The evaporation rate in your area will depend on humidity, sunlight intensity, barometric pressure, wind, and the level of activity in the pool or spa.

Here are the steps for performing the bucket test:

1. Bring the pool water to normal level.
2. Fill a 5-gallon bucket with pool water to about five inches from the top.
3. Place the bucket on the first or second step of the pool. Ensure the bucket is immersed in the pool at least 5 inches.
4. Mark the water level inside the bucket.
5. Shut off the pump and mark pool water level on the outside of the bucket.
6. Resume normal pool pump operation.

After 24 hours, compare the two water levels. If the pool water (outside the mark) goes down more than the bucket’s water level, there is probably a leak. If levels are the same, only evaporation has occurred.

In case of rain, repeat the bucket test. During a summer day, expect water loss from normal evaporation. Test is invalid after 24 hours.

Tip: If you have a leak we recommend redoing the bucket test with the pump turned off. This may help us narrow down whether the leak is in the plumbing or in the liner!