Is my pool leaking?

[MHumphrey]

How can you know if your pool is leaking water somehow, or if you are just being paranoid?

I have a pools that is somewhere in the neighborhood of 12k gallons. (It is not a rectangle, but is approximately 26ft by 13ft, and goes from 3ft in the shallow end to 6ft in the deep end).

Lately it seems like the water level is dropping faster than I ever remember (I've been in this house for 9 years). For example, I put water in the other evening and now (39 hours later), it has dropped by a noticeable mount. Rough estimates tell me maybe about 400 gallons.

We haven't had any rain lately, but that seems like a lot of evaporation. There are no other signs - wet ground, dirt in the pool, leaking pipes or connectors, etc... Although I'm not sure what to look for.

Is there a way to be sure?

 

[Hootz]

Please refer here, especially the "bucket test"

Leak Detection

A number of things can cause leaks in your pool. You can learn tricks for leak detection and how to pinpoint where your pool is losing water.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Bperry]

How can you know if your pool is leaking water somehow, or if you are just being paranoid?

I have a pools that is somewhere in the neighborhood of 12k gallons. (It is not a rectangle, but is approximately 26ft by 13ft, and goes from 3ft in the shallow end to 6ft in the deep end).

Lately it seems like the water level is dropping faster than I ever remember (I've been in this house for 9 years). For example, I put water in the other evening and now (39 hours later), it has dropped by a noticeable mount. Rough estimates tell me maybe about 400 gallons.

We haven't had any rain lately, but that seems like a lot of evaporation. There are no other signs - wet ground, dirt in the pool, leaking pipes or connectors, etc... Although I'm not sure what to look for.

Is there a way to be sure?

The bucket test is really helpful. It works even better if you can get the top of the bucket to sit right at the water level so you can way more easily see any difference in the level inside and outside the bucket.

My strategy was to put the bucket on a step (with a brick in it to hold it down) so the bucket is just protruding out of the top of the water. Then I refill the pool just enough to overflow into the bucket so the water level is even. Then you just wait.

 

[ajw22]

Are you heating the pool?

What is the water temperature versus the nighttime air temperature?

Evaporation of Pool Water - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com