It’s the middle of summer, hot and humid weather is upon us, and your swimming pool is losing water, what do you do? Is it evaporation or do you need to be concerned about a leak and how to do you tell the difference?
Many people upon noticing water loss jump to the conclusion there must be a leak somewhere, whether it is a hole somewhere in the liner or the underground plumbing has cracked. However, some water loss is common and expected - but, how much is determined by a variety of factors such as temperature of the weather, exposure to the sun, activity in the swimming pool (splashing, cannonballs, etc.), gusty winds, and pool size. For example, if you have a smaller pool with a heater and little shade, you should expect to lose more than a pool that is bigger with lots of shade!
But why bother stressing yourself out about it? Ease your mind by giving us a call at Aqua Blue where we can book you in for a complete leak detection service with our professional technicians who will take all the weight off your shoulders. Our team is equipped with all the latest products, troubleshooting methods, and equipment to track down that leak and get your pool back in working order once again!
For all those “do-it-yourself-ers” out there, completing a small visible checklist and performing some simple at home tests can aid in determining what is needed to best remedy your leaking swimming pool.
First things first, there are some minor details you will want to check first and record for your records. Do you notice any leaking by the equipment pad (pump, filter, backwash etc.), does the water stop going down at a certain point in the pool, is there any visible damage or wear and tear on any small parts of the pool (returns, skimmer, steps, etc.) Is there any wet patches on the lawn anywhere, is the liner getting up there in age. After all those general areas have had a once over, follow this simple test.
The “bucket test” is the first initial test to tell if in fact the culprit is evaporation. The pool will remain off for the duration of this test and no one should be swimming at the time this is performed. Fill up your pool to operation level (halfway through the skimmer), place an empty bucket on one of the steps of your pool (preferably the first or second step is best), fill the bucket to the same level as the pool therefore both inside and outside the bucket are at the same water level. Next, mark the water level on the bucket with a piece of tape and wait a minimum of 24 hours. Lastly, go out and check your bucket and record the results. If you have the same water loss in the bucket as you do your pool, that is caused by evaporation and there is no need to worry. However, should your pool water be much lower than that in the bucket there is most likely a leak somewhere within your pool whether it be the liner, steps, plumbing, or underground pipes.
If evaporation is not the culprit, this next test you can perform before calling us, to help determine how much you are losing, where you may have the issue, etc. - the “on off test.” Firstly, no one should be swimming for the duration of this test. Fill up your pool to operational level (halfway through the skimmer), mark at the waterline with a piece of tape and keep the pool RUNNING for at least 24 hours. After 24 hours, measure from that piece of tape how much the water as gone down. Once that is complete, fill the pool back up to operational level, mark the waterline again with a piece of tape and keep the pool OFF for at least another 24 hours. Once again, measure the difference between the tape and the waterline and record your findings. This will determine a few things: how much water you losing per day, if you are losing more with the pool running or off, and can give some hindsight into whether the problem is in the liner or somewhere within the pool plumbing and/or underground pool lines.
Once all the above has been completed and evaporation has been ruled out. Now is the time to call our professional team at Aqua Blue and get yourself booked in for a service call, where we can thoroughly test all aspects of your swimming pool, diagnose and located where the issue is. Our team is ready to do whatever it takes in order to get you and your family back swimming again in a healthy pool – we can pressure test your in-ground plumbing lines, scan and detect holes within your liner, dive and patch if needed and applicable, and so much more!
