Finding a pool leak can have it's fair share of challenges and is not always straight forward as you'd expect. The process of testing a pool for leaks is one that takes time and must be completed in stages.
The first step in leak testing any swimming pool is to figure out if the pool is actually leaking. A surprising amount of "pool leaks" are actually just periods where the water is evaporating quickly due to environmental conditions. If you are new to owning a pool then you will not be familiar with evaporation rates or what you should consider as normal evaporation rates for your pool. The actual amount of water that your pool will lose to evaporation will be unique to your pool. Factors such as your geographic location, ambient temperature, water temperature, direct sunlight and cross winds will all have an effect on your evaporation rates as will whether you use a solar blanket cover at night.
If you suspect you have a pool leak, the very first thing you can do to confirm this is carry out the Bucket Test. This test in one that can be easily carried out by the pool owner to save time, and a service fee from the leak detection specialist. There are many videos on Youtube demonstrating the bucket test, but the basic instructions are listed below.
1. Using an open top container such as a plastic juice pitcher you will sit the container inside of the pool such that it is partially filled with water. Our preferred method is to use rocks in the bottom of the container and then sit the container on a stair or ladder step such that part of the container is below water level and part is above.
2. You then add water into the container until the water inside the container and the water level in the pool are exactly the same.
3. Wait 24 hours and then check to see if the water level in the pool is lower than the water level in the container. The difference between the two would be rate of water loss in your pool. If you do this test and the water level in the pool always matches the water level in the container then you do not have a leak in your pool - your water loss is a result of evaporation. Using a solar blanket at night over the pool will dramatically reduce how much water your pool loses through evaporation.
Note: When you are doing the bucket test it would be a smart idea to record the weather patterns during this time period. The outside temperate (at both day and night) as well as cloud cover (direct sunlight the pool gets) as well as the amount of wind that you have. Most importantly you need to note if it rained or not as rain will likely invalidate your test results.
