Is it a leak or just the sun?
Every pool in Southwest Florida loses some water to evaporation, especially on hot, windy days. Homeowners often call us after watching the waterline creep down the tile for a week, worried it's a leak. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it's the weather. The bucket test is how you tell the difference before you spend money on a leak detection.
How it works
The bucket sits on the first step in the same sun, wind and water temperature as the pool, so it loses the same amount to evaporation. If the pool drops more than the bucket, the extra water is going somewhere it shouldn't. The animation above walks through every step.
Reading the results
- Both dropped about the same: that's evaporation, and your pool is fine.
- The pool dropped more than the bucket: that's a leak.
- Losing more than 1/4 inch a day is another sign of a leak.
Tips for a clean test
- Turn off the auto-fill, or it will hide the water loss.
- Skip swimming and avoid testing on a rainy day.
- Run it once with the pump on and once with it off. If the pool loses more with the pump running, the leak is likely in the plumbing.
Need the full guide?
See our step-by-step bucket test guide, including what it means when the water stops dropping at a certain level.
Losing water in Southwest Florida?
Call or text (239) 533-5935 or request service. Leak detection starts at $295.