How to test for a leak in your
pool, spa, or fountain:
The Evaporation Test
Pools naturally lose water every day through evaporation. Environmental factors like heat, sunlight, and humidity all influence the amount lost. As Summer approaches, days get longer and warmer. Evaporation can increase, and sometimes give you the incorrect impression your pool is leaking. Here is a foolproof test to see whether your water loss is due to a leak:
- Get a 5 gallon bucket.
- Set your bucket on the first step of your pool and fill it with water. (If your pool does not have a step on which to place the bucket, setting it on the deck next to the pool will work.)
- Fill the bucket a couple inches below the top and mark the water level with a pencil or piece of tape.
- Mark the level of the pool, again with a pencil or piece of tape. A good place for this is the outside of the bucket, but anywhere works.
- It is important during this test that no one swims in the pool, and that pets do not drink from the bucket. After 24 hours, compare the level of water loss in the bucket to that in the pool. Inch for inch, the water loss should be the same. If this is the case, congratulations! You are leak free! If the pool is down more than the bucket (at least 1/4″ more than the bucket’s loss), then you most likely have a leak. Give us a call and we’ll find it!