Bucket Test For Your Pool

Confirm Whether Your Pool Is Leaking or Not

Your swimming pool will naturally lose some water to evaporation or splash-out. However, if you aren’t sure whether your pool is losing water due to evaporation or a leakage, here’s a quick solution to find out the answer — the Bucket Test.

Detecting Pool Leaks

• Bring pool water to a normal level
• Fill a 5-gallon bucket with pool water approximately 3 – 4 inches from the top
• Place the bucket on the first or second step of pool (preferably the second step without immersing it)
• With a marker or electrical tape, mark the water level inside the bucket
• Shut off the pump and mark the pool level outside the bucket
• Resume normal pump operation. Make sure the auto / manual fill valve is off during the test
• After 24 hours, compare the two levels. If the pool water (outside mark) goes down more than the inside water level, there may be a leak

An unrepaired hole in your pool can result in hundreds of gallons of water loss per day. If the leak is not taken care of immediately by an experienced professional, it can become costly for you and cause further problems in the future.

Tips for an Effective Bucket Test

• Tie the bucket to a handrail so it doesn’t get knocked over. If you need to weigh the bucket down with a heavy object, make sure that the object absorbs the water before marking the bucket. The water levels do not have to be the same. The test will determine if the water level in the pool goes down more from its mark than the bucket does from its mark
• We recommend running the test with the pump off for 24 hours and then running the test with the pump on for 24 hours. The results will help you identify where the leak might be
• Do not add water or backwash the filter during the test
• Do not allow swimming during this time
• Do not let your dog drink out of the bucket
• The bucket test should only be done on clear nights. If it rains, the pool test isn’t effective. So, make sure you check the weather forecast