Is this a leak? So confused

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G

gmason86

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Bronze Supporter
May 13, 2017
70
Ontario, Canada
Hi all,

Glad to be back in pool season now here in Ontario and out of my trouble free pool hibernation! :)

I have a potential leak, but the bucket test results are so confusing...

Yesterday morning, I filled the bucket with pool water, submerged it on the 2nd step (it's about 2/3 submerged), marked the inside and outside. I've attempted to put the bucket in the least sheltered part of my steps. The pump has been running 24/7.

After the first approx 10-12 hours during a warmish sunny day, I checked the levels and they were almost the same. In fact, bucket loss was 0.6cm and pool loss was marginally less at 0.5cm or just under.

I checked again this morning at about 8am (approx 22 hours after I started the test) and the results confused me. Bucket loss total is approx 0.7cm and pool loss is approx 1.2cm. So the pool loss has continued (even sped up a little) and the bucket loss has slowed down. I've run this test previous nights (albeit not as accurately, bucket not as submerged, not quite in the middle of the steps, etc), and saw similar results in terms of greater overnight loss in the pool.

If I hadn't looked at the 10-12 hour results and only at the 22 hour results, I'd look at the difference between the two of 0.5cm and think there must be a leak. But having seen the first set of results and the fact the difference was negligible (in fact in favour of the pool), I'd have expected the same overnight.

Can someone explain what on earth is going on here? Is this a leak? Or just some weird overnight conditions that affect the pool much worse than the bucket? I have tried to place the bucket in the least sheltered part of the steps possible, but it is more sheltered than the rest of the pool (the steps are like a semi circle so it is somewhat protected on each side, and there's a mesh pool fence that wraps round the steps) but I don't know if that'd have as much of an effect on wind, etc.

Before I pay for a leak detection company, I'm hoping for some thoughts on this as I'm very confused and don't understand why the overnight comparison is so different to the daytime.

Thanks all!

Graham.
 
So the loss during the day so far is back again to being about the same, even arguably marginally more in the bucket.

So it seems that consistently the daytime loss is pretty much equal (even marginally less in the pool), but the overnight loss is noticeably more in the pool, which has me confused over whether that is explained by environmental factors and it therefore isn't a leak, or it is actually a leak (and if so, I'd love someone to explain the logic).

Thanks all!

Graham.
 
One more piece of info to add. Hoping someone can help me figure this one out.

I decided to cover the pool to try and remove some of the evaporation factor. Last night, that meant pool evaporation was about 0.2cm and bucket about 0.3cm. It does make sense bucket would be more since it is uncovered. It goes to show evaporation overnight did cause a LOT of evaporation. Pool is about 87 right now. Cover is clear.

I guess the question is with a solar cover that covers most of the pool (stairs aren't covered and there are some gaps here and there), is 0.2cm overnight reasonable evaporation based on the gaps (and whatever can get through the cover, and whatever is on top of the cover) or does that suggest a leak that we should get checked? In about the last 20 hours covered, pool has lost about 0.4cm and bucket about 0.8cm.

Are we happy to call that a leak at this point, or is that amount of loss still possible on the pool with a cover?

Thanks!

Graham.
 
Daytime temperature since I heated the pool has been approximately 76. Overnight approx 60.

My original readings before the cover were before the pool was heated. I'm still confused why during that time the bucket and pool were almost identical during the daylight hours, but the pool evaporation was then noticeably more than the bucket overnight. Any ideas why that may be?

Would you still expect to see as much as 0.2cm overnight and about 0.4cm in a 20 hour period with a clear cover on? I had always imagined it to be closer to 0, but there are some slightly uncovered sections, most noticeably the stairs.

Thanks!

Graham.
 
Running the pump 24/7 might have some effect. All I can say is that where I am (deep South USA) I get the greatest amount of evaporation in late Fall when conditions here are similar to yours now. Water in the high 80's, air temp in the 50-60's.
 
I'm new & still learning, but I was recently told by a pool service guy that evaporation loss in our area (Reno, NV) is much greater at night when the air temp is lower than the pool temp. This came up during
a conversation about solar covers. He also said solar covers would reduce evaporation & the need for chemicals by quite a bit.
 
Thanks! I'm going to turn the pump off overnight tonight and see what results are like.

In any case, it seems my pool sees a great deal of overnight evaporation without a cover, even before the water was heated. More than the bucket, which I guess I'll need to put down to the bucket being more sheltered from environmental factors.

I'm surprised I still see some evaporation with the cover on, but I guess the uncovered sections do allow some still.

If anyone else has any thoughts as to whether that's an acceptable amount of loss with a cover on, I'd love to hear.

Thanks everyone! Was very pleased to be back swimming this weekend! I know that's a foreign concept to some, especially our friends in the deep south :)

Graham.
 

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Hey, this Max from Winnipeg. I have been having the similar concern for a while.
Here are some of my thoughts and experience.

1. Even with my solar cover on (clear one, same as you, steps not covered and some gaps, you can refer to my avatar), I still have quite a few water loss. This happens when I have a cold night or very windy night. By the way, it has been super windy last week in Winnipeg.

2. I measured with cover on last year. You can find that in my previous post. 1/4 inch over night and 1/8 inch daytime. Since I run the pump 24/7, the leak should be at the same rate. When I did the measurement, it was quite cold at night so it’s reasonable to evaporate more at night. Then, let’s think this way, even assume the 1/8 inch during the day was all the leak, then It would leak 1/8 inch at night and other 1/8 was evaporation, even with cover on! Furthermore, I guess I still lose some due to evaporation daytime and the leak is even smaller.

3. I read that, the wind is a super big factor. If you got windy night, it can explain what happened to you.

4. In the end, I am still not quite sure whether I have a small leak or not. Keep me updated.
 
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