Bucket Test

Suspect there’s a leak in your pool? Follow the simple instructions below to gain more insight into what’s going on. 

Evaporation is a major player in water loss in a swimming pool. It is dependent on a variety of environmental and pool related conditions such as wind, water temp, dew point and barometric pressure. Because of this, the evaporation rate can vary greatly from day to day and even pool to pool.

If you suspect a leak, you can do this simple test to determine if water loss is due to evaporation or an actual leak. The bucket test exposes water in a bucket to the same conditions as those affecting your pool. From the results of this test, we can not only tell if there is a leak, but better pinpoint where in the pool the loss is coming from and determine what type of leak detection is necessary.

Bucket Test Procedure:

  1. Bring pool water to its normal level, DO NOT USE the pool heater or solar blanket for the duration of the test
  2. Fill an empty bucket (drywall or 5 gallon pail work best) to about 4” from the top with POOL water
  3. Place the bucket on lowest step possible without pool water flowing over into it
  4. Mark the water level inside the bucket
  5. Mark the water level of the pool on the outside of the bucket, on the pool wall or skimmer faceplate
  6. Let system run for 24 hours non-stop
  7. After 24 hours are up, write down how much water was lost in pool (if any), and how much water was lost in bucket (if any) at the bottom of this sheet
  8. Repeat the test only this time do it for 24 hours with the system completely off
  9. After 24 hours with system off, write down how much water was lost in pool (if any), and how much water was lost in bucket (if any) at the bottom of this sheet
  10. Contact North Eastern with the results

FINDINGS:

Water loss in BUCKET with system OFF ____________ inches

Water loss in POOL with system OFF _______________ inches

Water loss in BUCKET with system ON ______________ inches

Water loss in POOL with system ON: ________________ inches

Although these tests are not always 100% definitive, they provide excellent information for our technicians in helping to establish suspect locations for leak detection, allowing for maximum efficiency during leak detection services, as well as saving you, the customer, money.