Swimming Pool Leaks: Basic Guide for Pool Owners

It’s but normal for swimming pools to lose water due to evaporation.

The rate of evaporation varies according to daily temperature range, the local climate’s relative humidity, and several other factors.

If your pool is losing water solely due to evaporation, the water loss would be about two inches per week.

However, if you’re losing so much more than that within the same period, there is a possibility of a swimming pool leak, which can pose a myriad of problems.

Before you call pool leak detection services, it would be better to confirm first that there is, indeed, a leak. Another reason you’d call for services is for closing pool chemicals help and assistance.

Signs You Have A Swimming Pool Leak

Considering that even the smallest of leaks can make your pool lose hundreds upon hundreds of gallons of water each week, a massive water bill is one of the clearest indications that there’s a leak somewhere.

You can also tell that you have a swimming pool leak if there is standing water near your pool.

A puddle of water near your pool is expected during the rainy season or when someone is using it regularly.

However, when it hasn’t been raining, or no one took a dip in the pool for quite a while, standing water near the pool is a red flag. It could be a sign of an underground leak, especially if the grass around the pool feels mushy or uneven.

You might also want to check for leaks if you see cracks in and around your swimming pool.

Keep an eye on your pool’s chemical levels, too, which could suddenly drop if the pool is leaking water—and the chemicals along with it.

Keep in mind that inconsistent chemical levels also foster the growth of algae, which will turn your pool green in a short amount of time—a clear indication that there’s a pool leak somewhere.

Verifying A Swimming Pool Leak

It’s tempting to call pool professionals right away, but you have to be certain that a leak does exist before you bring in the big guns.

Two of the simplest ways of confirming if you have a swimming pool leak are the bucket test and the dye test.

The Bucket Test

Pool owners use the bucket test to determine whether normal evaporation or a pool leak is responsible for water loss. It involves the following steps:

• Fill your pool to normal levels.

• Fill a five-gallon bucket with pool water up to an inch from the top.

• Place the bucket on your pool’s second step and make sure it’s immersed in at least five inches of pool water.

• Use a tape or marker to indicate the water level inside and outside the bucket.

• Leave the bucket there for 24 hours, then check the bucket and mark the current water level both inside and outside the bucket.

If the culprit is evaporation, then the drop in water level both inside and outside the bucket should be roughly the same.

If the water level drop outside the bucket is more significant than the one inside, there is a clear likelihood of a leak.

The Dye Test

If you suspect that the leak is originating from a specific part of your pool, a dye test should be able to confirm it.

To perform a dye test properly, you need to:

• Turn off your pool’s filtration system since you need the water to be as still and calm as possible.

• Fill a plastic syringe with dye or food coloring.

• Position yourself near the area of the suspected leak, dip your syringe into the water, and release small amounts of the dye.

The idea of a dye test revolves around the fact that since it's heavier than water, the dye will make its way towards the leak faster than water can. 

If the dye does get through cracks in your pool or any other part of your swimming pool system, then you will have confirmed the existence of a swimming pool leak.

The next step would then be to call swimming pool leak detection specialists. With their experience and advanced leak detection equipment, they should be able to pinpoint the exact origin of the leak in no time at all.

Guest Contributor: Anthony Quinn