It starts as a creeping uncertainty, then slowly turns into concern.
“The pool seems emptier today than yesterday. Is my pool leaking or is it just my imagination?”
Your backyard swimming pool will naturally lose some water over the course of the summer due to evaporation, splashing and other natural causes. But when you notice that you have to top up your pool up on a more regular basis, you might have a problem.
How to find out if you have a leak in your pool
Before calling in the big guns or rushing to your local swimming pool store, you can verify if there is a leak by yourself by doing the quick and easy Bucket Test.
Simply follow these steps:
- Fill a bucket halfway with water from the pool.
- Mark the water level on the bucket using a piece of tape or a marker.
- Mark the water level in the pool.
- Leave the bucket on the second pool step or on the pool deck if you do not have pool stairs.
- Come back in 24 hours and compare. If the amounts are the same, the pool is likely okay and the water loss is simply due to evaporation. If the pool has lost a lot more water, by comparison, you probably have a leak.
If the Bucket Test shows you that you do have a leak, you can use this same test to try to identify if you are dealing with one of the more common pool problems.
To do this, simply repeat the test with the pool pump turned off. If the amount of water loss is greater than the bucket, the problem is likely inside the pool. If there is equal water loss, the leak is likely in the suction (skimmer) or return lines.
Fixing the leak
Depending on the severity of the leak, you may be able to fix the problem yourself. Small issues can be fixed with a putty or patch kit that can be purchased from your local pool provider depending on the type of pool.
Problems with piping may require a more elaborate solution.
You will want to continue to check the level of your pool over time to ensure that the fix was successful.
Bring in the experts
Unfortunately, some leaks aren’t very easy to detect and fix. If you find yourself struggling with a problem that doesn’t want to be solved, you can trust the experts at Pool Craft to quickly provide an answer using efficient problem-solving techniques and state of the art leak detection equipment.
