Pool Bucket Test: Free and Easy
What is a bucket test for a pool?
You use a bucket test for pool leaks.
This test is the simplest way to find out for certain if your pool is losing water due to a leak or evaporation.
Simply, by doing a bucket test, you are comparing the water loss in a 5-gallon bucket (evaporation) to the water loss in your pool. It’s extremely simple, it takes five minutes to set up, and 24 hours to wait, and you will know if your pool is losing water due to evaporation or a pool leak.
Pool Bucket Test Video Instructions
Check out our video on the three different methods of doing a bucket test for a pool and spa. This video will show you how to detect pool leaks using a bucket test.
Pool Bucket Test
Knowing how to do a bucket test on your pool is important in maintaining a healthy pool environment and, most importantly, lets you know if you have a pool leak. With the right supplies and a little bit of effort, you can quickly and accurately test the water loss of your swimming pool using the bucket test method.
When to do a bucket test?
I know if you see a puddle of water in your backyard, the first thing you’ll want to do is call a pool leak detection company. But, not so fast! That puddle can be coming from anywhere. Before spending hundreds of dollars on a leak detection test, ensure your pool has a leak.
By doing this test, you can determine if your pool water loss is due to pool evaporation. And this test can essentially be done on any pool, from testing backyard pools to bucket test apartment complexes.
Pool water loss from evaporation or a leak?
Many pool owners think they must have a leak if they lose 1/8th to 1/4 inches a day. But water loss that high happens in Texas, even in the winter.
Having an accurate idea of how much water your pool might be losing due to a pool leak is very helpful to many leak detection experts.
Pool Bucket Test Step By Step Instructions
24 Hours
1. Find a 5-Gallon Bucket
The first step in the bucket test process is to find a 5-gallon Bucket. These can be any clean, non-toxic bucket that is made of plastic or metal. You don’t want to use any containers with cracks or openings as this would cause the test to fail
2. Fill the bucket to about an inch from the top
Fill the bucket to about an inch from the top. You want it filled as high as possible to replicate the condition of the pool.
3. Put the bucket on the first or second step inside your pool
Put the bucket on the first or second step of your pool It should be as low in the pool as possible without it being submerged or at risk of falling over. You may need to add the brick to the bottom of your bucket here.
A note: If your pool doesn’t have steps, it’s okay to leave it on the side of the deck,
4. Mark where the water level is on the inside of the bucket
Mark where the water level is on the inside of the bucket. This can be with tape or a permanent marker
5. Mark where the pool water level is on the outside of the bucket
Mark where the pool water level is on the outside of the bucket. Again, you can use a piece of tape or a marker.
6. Turn off your autofill.
It is very important to make sure that any autofill devices are turned off or removed from the pool.
7. Wait 24 Hours
Wait 24 Hours. Ensure that the weather is such that it will not rain. It is also important that no-one swims in the pool, and the no pets are able to tip over or drink out of the bucket.
8. Use a ruler to measure how far the water has dropped in the bucket
It is very important to use a ruler because accuracy is necessary for your peace of mind and for the leak detection specialists. Measure the distance between the mark you made and where the bucket water level is now.
9. Use the ruler to measure how far the pool water has dropped on the outside of the bucket.
Measure the distance between the mark you made the day before and where the water level is now.
10. Compare the two measurements
If the water level on the outside of the bucket dropped the same amount as the inside of the bucket, then you don’t have a leak.
However, if the water level on the outside of the bucket dropped more than the water level inside of the bucket, you have a leak in your pool.
Supply:
- Five Gallon Bucket
- Brick
Tools:
- Ruler
- Permanent Marker
Materials: Tape
Benefits of doing this test
- You can know if your pool is actually losing water
- If a leak detection company tells you that you don’t have a leak, this is proof
- If you were told by a plumber that your pool is leaking, but you feel like it isn’t, this is proof as well.
- You will have peace of mind knowing what is going on with your pool.
- pool bucket test accuracy. This is about the best and most accurate way of determining whether or not you have a pool leak.
Conclusion
You’ll be glad you did a bucket test pool leak test. Evaporation levels can vary greatly between Plano, Fort Worth, Dallas, and all of Texas. So doing this bucket test, no matter where you are, will help. And the evaporation level just might surprise you! And for swimming pool leak detection folks like us, your pool bucket test results will help us tremendously with your pool diagnoses.
For a more detailed explanation of how to find a leak, go to our website, “How to find a pool leak”
And if you need even more info, here’s a great article on WikiHow:
https://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Leak-in-Your-Swimming-Pool
If you are certain you have a pool leak and have done the bucket test, please either give us a call or fill out an online form.
