Having a leaking swimming pool can be a highly frustrating experience, not to mention very expensive. You will frequently need to top up your pool with fresh water and add more chemicals.
Just by doing this simple test you could save hundreds of $$$$
Sometimes it is possible to have a leaking pool and not even realise that it is leaking!!
A homeowner may suspect they have a leak but have no way of finding this out for sure.
Finding a leak in underground pipe-work can be difficult
BUT
There is an easier way to find out first
IF
You even have a leak!
In this guide I will show you an easy way to find out if you have a leaking pool.
Your leak detection investigation begins with determining how much water your pool loses through leakage, and how much it loses through evaporation.
EVAPORATION VS LEAK
This is done using a “BUCKET TEST”.
To perform this test all you need is a 10 litre bucket to which you add a house brick. Then fill the bucket with pool water close to the brim. You then place this bucket with its contents onto the top step of your swimming pool and carefully mark (with a pencil or crayon) the exact height of the current water level inside the bucket.
BUCKET TEST
The water in the bucket will measure the evaporation rate in your particular environment. Evaporation varies greatly depending your location and other factors such as the amount of wind and humidity.
The next step in the process is to mark the current water level in your pool. I usually do this inside the skimmer box or take a photo of the water level on the water line tiles. If the water level of your pool is too low to run the pump, top it up to the correct operational height and then mark it there.
Run the pool pump continually for 24 hours and then measure as accurately as possible the amount that the water levels have dropped in both the bucket and the pool. Record these measurements. Then reset the water level in the bucket and reset the water level in the pool to their original markings.
Now leave the pool pump OFF for 24 hours continually.
After 24 hours, measure the amount of water loss from the bucket and from the pool. Record these results. You can now analyse your findings.
ANALYSING YOUR RECORDED MEASUREMENTS
One of the following 4 outcomes will apply:
1) The water level in the pool and the bucket dropped the same amount on both tests. This result indicates that there is NO LEAK in the pool. You may just have a high evaporation rate. You may choose to repeat the test just to be sure.
2) The water level dropped more in the pool than the bucket when the pool pump was running or off. This will require dye testing through the wall fittings to determine the leak location.
3) The water level dropped more in the pool when the pool pump was running for 24 hours. This indicates a leak in the pressurised return line of the pipe-work. This may require a pressure test to further verify the existence of a leak and help find its underground location.
4) The water level in the pool dropped more when the pool pump was NOT running for 24 hours. This indicates a leak in the suction line of the pipe-work. This may require a pressure test to further verify the existence of a leak and help find its underground location.
Depending on where the leak is and what has caused it will determine the way in which it should be repaired.
If you want to leave this test to the experts then please CONTACT US to arrange a site visit.
We provide professional leak location and repair services.
Michael Burke 0416 836 913