What you need
- A 5-gallon bucket that does not leak
- A marker or a strip of tape
- 24 hours
Step by step
- Fill the bucket with pool water to a little over halfway, about three-quarters full.
- Set the bucket on the pool's first step so it sits in the same water temperature.
- Turn off the pool and auto-fill, let the water settle, and mark the water level inside the bucket and on the pool wall or skimmer.
- Turn the pool back on and run its normal schedule.
- After 24 hours, turn the pool off and compare both marks. If the pool dropped more than the bucket, the pool is leaking.
Narrow it down: pump on vs. pump off
Run the test once with the pump on its normal schedule and once with the pump off. If the pool loses more with the pump running, the leak is likely in the pressure-side plumbing. If it loses the same either way, the leak is more likely in the shell, a fitting, the light or the skimmer.
Watch where the water stops
If you let the pool keep dropping, note where it stops. Stopping at about the middle of the skimmer opening points to the skimmer. Stopping near the top of the light points to the light niche. If it keeps dropping below everything, the main drain or floor is likely.
Other signs of a leak
- Your service tech keeps adding salt or stabilizer
- Your water bill or auto-fill usage jumped
- Wet or sinking areas around the deck
- Air in the pump basket or bubbles from the returns
Need a straight answer?
Call or text (239) 533-5935 or request service. Leak detection starts at $295.
