How to Find a Leak in an Inground Swimming Pool
The water in your inground swimming pool seems to be evaporating quicker than usual. Instead of paying someone big bucks to test your pool for a leak, you can test it yourself, and all it will cost you is the price of a 5-gallon bucket and some tape. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Buy a 5-gallon bucket. You can purchase one from an online supplier like Container & Packaging Supplies Inc. (see Resources below).
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Fill the bucket with water to 1 inch from the top.
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Place the bucket on the top step of your inground swimming pool. Turn off your filter system.
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Mark where the pool water touches the outside of the bucket with either waterproof tape or a marker.
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Measure where the water touches the inside of the bucket after 24 hours. This is the true evaporation for the region in which you live.
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Take your outside bucket measurement at the same time: 24 hours later. If, for example, the inside of the bucket lost 1/4 inch of water (representing normal evaporation) and the outside of the bucket lost 3/4 inch of water, then the pool lost 1/2 inch more water than would occur from normal evaporation. This indicates a leak.
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Begin the process again, filling the bucket back up so that the water is 1 inch from the top. This time, turn on the filter system. Check back in 24 hours. If you discover that the pool only loses water when the system is running, this indicates a problem in your plumbing.
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Call an inground swimming pool professional for either a leak in your inground swimming pool or a problem in your plumbing system.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are afraid your bucket will wash away in the pool, place a brick or a rock in the bottom of it before adding the water. However, this is unlikely to happen, as the water in the bucket is at a much higher level than the water outside the bucket.
You can discover a leak on your own, but you'll most likely want to pay a professional to fix that leak.
