Is my pool leaking or just evaporating?
To tell a pool leak from evaporation, do a bucket test: set a bucket of pool water on a pool step, mark the water level inside the bucket and on the pool wall, and wait 24 hours. If the pool drops noticeably more than the bucket, the pool is losing water to something other than evaporation, most likely a leak.
Evaporation depends on heat, sun, wind and humidity, which is why it varies so much through a Texas summer. The bucket test works because the water in the bucket and the pool face the same weather.
How to do the bucket test
- Fill the pool to its normal level.
- Fill a 5-gallon bucket with pool water to about an inch below the rim.
- Set the bucket on the first or second pool step so it sits in the pool water, weighted if needed.
- Mark the water level inside the bucket and on the outside of the bucket at the pool's level.
- Turn off the auto-fill. Run the pump on its normal schedule.
- After 24 hours, compare both levels.
| Result after 24 hours | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pool and bucket dropped about the same | Evaporation. No leak indicated. |
| Pool dropped more than the bucket | Likely a leak. |
| Pool drops more with pump on | Leak may be on the pressure (return) side of the plumbing. |
| Pool drops more with pump off | Leak may be on the suction side or in the shell. |
Repeat the test once with the pump off for 24 hours. The difference between the two tests helps a technician know where to start.
Where the water level stops
If the level keeps dropping and then stops at the same point, the leak is often at that height: the skimmer opening, a light, or a return fitting. That observation is useful to share when you call.
Other signs it's a leak
- Wet or soggy ground near the pool or equipment pad
- Cracks in the plaster, tile line or deck
- Air bubbles coming from the return jets
- Chemicals or salt levels that keep needing adjustment
- A higher water bill during pool season
What to do next
If the bucket test points to a leak, get professional pool leak detection. Technicians pressure test the plumbing, dye test the shell and listen along buried lines, usually with the pool full. Keep the water above the skimmer in the meantime so the pump doesn't run dry.
How much evaporation is normal for a Texas pool?
In the Cibolo area, an uncovered pool can lose roughly a quarter inch of water a day in hot, dry, windy summer weather, and less in spring and fall. Loss well above that, or loss that continues on cool, calm days, points to a leak rather than evaporation.
Evaporation goes up with sun, wind, low humidity, heated water and waterfalls or fountains that spray water into the air. It goes down at night and on cloudy, humid days. That's why the bucket test works: the bucket and the pool sit in the same weather.
Does the leak change with the pump on or off?
Run the bucket test twice: once with the pump running on its normal schedule and once with the pump off for 24 hours. Compare the results.
- Loses more with the pump on: the leak is probably on the pressure (return) side of the plumbing.
- Loses more with the pump off: the leak may be on the suction side, where pipes pull water in while the pump runs.
- Same either way: look at the shell, light niche and fittings.
- Stops at a certain level: the leak is at that height, often the skimmer or a light.
Can I do a dye test myself?
You can do a simple one. Turn the pump off so the water is still. Squeeze a little pool dye or food coloring near a suspect crack, the skimmer throat or a return fitting. If the dye gets pulled into the gap, you've found a leak point. Stay off ladders and the deep end if you aren't a confident swimmer. Leave deep-end fittings and main drains to a pro with dive gear.
Spotted water loss beyond evaporation? Get pool leak detection in Cibolo before the soil around the pool gets saturated.