Have you noticed the water level in your pool dropping? Are you concerned your pool might have a leak? Are you wondering if the pool bucket test still relevant? The answer to the latter question is yes! Read on to find out how the pool bucket test can help you!

Is the Pool Bucket Test Still Useful?

The pool bucket test is a useful test you can perform to determine if your pool is losing water due to a leak or evaporation. Thankfully, not all water loss is due to a leak. If you need to determine if you have a leak or if evaporation is the culprit, you want to perform the pool bucket test. Evaporation rates vary from day to day depending on the temperature and weather. While you might not think you could lose water at a significant rate due to evaporation, it is possible that the water loss you noticed is a result of evaporation. A pool can lose about a quarter-inch of water a day due to evaporation.

How To Perform the Bucket Test

To perform the bucket test, you need a 5-gallon bucket and a 24 hour period of rain-free weather.

1. Fill the 5-gallon bucket with pool water to one inch of the top.
2. Place the bucket on the first or second step of the pool. This will ensure that it is exposed to the same conditions of the pool water.
3. Mark the water level in the bucket on the inside, and the pool water level on the outside of the bucket.
4. Wait 24 hours. During this time, no one should use the pool.
5. Compare your levels. If the difference on the outside of the bucket is the same as the inside of the bucket, then evaporation is the cause!

Evaporation or Leak

The pool bucket test is an easy and affordable test you can DIY to determine if you have a leak or water loss due to evaporation. Hopefully, the water loss is due to evaporation, and the case is solved.

Unfortunately, if after performing the bucket test you confirmed you have a leak in your pool, it is time to find the leak. A swimming pool leak can lead to severe damage to your pool, and you do not want to let a leak go undetected.

Just as the bucket test was an easy DIY test, you can also perform a dye test to assist in locating a leak.

If you have tried the bucket test and still suspect a leak you will want to act quick. Give the experts at Aquaman Leak Detection a call today!