Pool Leak?

[lucasaltic]

Ok. As some of you may know, I’ve been chasing a potential pool leak. Home Pool has been losing water at what I consider to be a pretty rapid rate. Last month, I did the bucket test in an attempt to rule out evaporation. I placed a bucket in the pool, filled it, marked the water level and also marked the water level in the pool skimmer. Since September 13, the skimmer is 3” lower than the bucket. So that’s about 5/32” of water per day. Note that this is over and above the evaporation and rainfall rates.

Does anyone have any insight? Is it normal to lose that amount. To other factors such as splash out?

My setup:

 

[lucasaltic]

Ok. As some of you may know, I’ve been chasing a potential pool leak. Home Pool has been losing water at what I consider to be a pretty rapid rate. Last month, I did the bucket test in an attempt to rule out evaporation. I placed a bucket in the pool, filled it, marked the water level and also marked the water level in the pool skimmer. Since September 13, the skimmer is 3” lower than the bucket. So that’s about 5/32” of water per day. Note that this is over and above the evaporation and rainfall rates.

Does anyone have any insight? Is it normal to lose that amount. To other factors such as splash out?

My setup:
View attachment 456364

One more thing: I had a pool leak company come a few months ago and they said there is no leak. I still thought there was a leak so I called them back out and they still said there isn’t a leak. But the bucket says otherwise…

 

[Bperry]

Up to 1/4” per day is considered pretty normal, especially in warm climate. You might try the bucket test by lowering the bucket farther into the pool so that the top is just at the water surface. Then do the test again. I put the bucket on a lower step with some bricks in it to hold it down, then add water to the pool until the water starts spilling over into the bucket. Then I don’t need marks and any wind affects the water more evenly.

If people swam in the pool you can’t do a bucket test so splash out won’t be a factor there.

 

[Newdude]

The bucket also isn't nearly as subject to wind. A stiff breeze takes your flat pool ------------- and gives it lots more surface area with ripples like ^^^^^^^^^^^. More surface area equals more evaporation.

 

[lucasaltic]

Up to 1/4” per day is considered pretty normal, especially in warm climate. You might try the bucket test by lowering the bucket farther into the pool so that the top is just at the water surface. Then do the test again. I put the bucket on a lower step with some bricks in it to hold it down, then add water to the pool until the water starts spilling over into the bucket. Then I don’t need marks and any wind affects the water more evenly.

If people swam in the pool you can’t do a bucket test so splash out won’t be a factor there.

People definitely swam in it during the test for sure.

But I know 1/4” evaporation is normal. The 3” is the difference between the bucket and the pool level. It rained several times, so the actual total water loss is much higher than 1/4”.

 

[Bperry]

People definitely swam in it during the test for sure.

But I know 1/4” evaporation is normal. The 3” is the difference between the bucket and the pool level. It rained several times, so the actual total water loss is much higher than 1/4”.

Too many variables. Do the test again without swimmers or rain.

 

[lucasaltic]

Too many variables. Do the test again without swimmers or rain.

Ok. But, isn’t the point of having an open bucket that it will collect the same amount of rain per square inch as the pool and this rule out rain as a variable? So that would just leave swimmers, no? So is a little more than 1/8” per day loss reasonable for splash out from swimmers?

 

[Bperry]

Ok. But, isn’t the point of having an open bucket that it will collect the same amount of rain per square inch as the pool and this rule out rain as a variable? So that would just leave swimmers, no? So is a little more than 1/8” per day loss reasonable for splash out from swimmers?

The bucket test only rules out evaporation as the cause for water loss, Not splash out or rain. There’s no reasonable way to estimate splashout or rain as it would be different in every case.

It does seem like you could cancel out rain but I’ve found there isn’t that kind of consistency in the amount of water that falls given that we are trying to measure in 1/16” increments. Wind, tree coverage, how long it rains, etc all affect where and how much water ultimately lands.

 

[Bperry]

Depending on the number of swimmers, how often they get out of the pool and back in, how much surface area their swim suits, hair, and skin can hold, if they go nuts with splashing contests or cannon balls, all play into “splashout”. So no way to give a ballpark on splashout. I’d think 1/8” splashout could be easily achieved.

 

[alferz]

I would ask the leak detectors for a complete accounting of what they tested and what might still be causing a leak. To completely test a pool would likely require diving to test light niches, possibly drain covers, etc. When I had a leak test done I was told the bucket is the most accurate method of determining if a leak exists - if it shows there is one, more comprehensive testing is warranted. Make sure the leak testers specialize in pools, these are different animals than testing water lines under or through your house for example. A second opinion might be worth it here.

You really only need 24-48 hours to do the bucket test. If you go past that you have too many other variables as others mentioned. Try to find two days where no one is swimming and the weather is mild (no rain) and test again. Use a piece of blue tape on the coping and a millimeter scale ruler to measure the distance to water from blue tape and a sharpie mark in the bucket to measure that distance. Try to keep the water level in the bucket about the same as the water level in the pool at the start. Make sure any auto fillers are off and run your filter as you normally would. Repeat the measurements in two days and compare.

 

[Bill1974]

Pre soak bricks and concrete blocks if they are going to be in the water being measured. They are porous and take a while to saturate. Very easy to throw off your test. If you don't believe me, weight one that is just wetted and compare the weight to one that has been submerged for a day or two.

 

[lucasaltic]

Thanks for your input everyone. This gives me some direction to go on.

 

[lucasaltic]

I would ask the leak detectors for a complete accounting of what they tested and what might still be causing a leak. To completely test a pool would likely require diving to test light niches, possibly drain covers, etc. When I had a leak test done I was told the bucket is the most accurate method of determining if a leak exists - if it shows there is one, more comprehensive testing is warranted. Make sure the leak testers specialize in pools, these are different animals than testing water lines under or through your house for example. A second opinion might be worth it here.

You really only need 24-48 hours to do the bucket test. If you go past that you have too many other variables as others mentioned. Try to find two days where no one is swimming and the weather is mild (no rain) and test again. Use a piece of blue tape on the coping and a millimeter scale ruler to measure the distance to water from blue tape and a sharpie mark in the bucket to measure that distance. Try to keep the water level in the bucket about the same as the water level in the pool at the start. Make sure any auto fillers are off and run your filter as you normally would. Repeat the measurements in two days and compare.

They specialize in pools. I watched the guy. He was pretty thorough. Tested the light niche, skimmer, even some calcium modules. He strapped lead weights in and went diving. I did fail to mention that they did find a leak in the skimmer the first time and patched it with putty. It was the second go-round that they didn’t find anything else.