The Pool Bucket Test
How to Do the Pool Bucket Test
Before you call anyone, do this first.
If your pool water level keeps dropping, the first question is whether you’re dealing with a leak or just normal evaporation. They look the same from the surface. The bucket test is a simple way to tell them apart, and you can do it yourself in about 24 hours with nothing but a bucket and a marker.
Here’s how.
What You Need
- A five-gallon bucket
- A marker or piece of tape
- 24 hours with the auto-fill turned off
How to Do It
- Fill the bucket with pool water and place it on the first or second step of your pool.
- Mark the water level inside the bucket and the pool water level on the outside.
- Turn off your auto-fill.
- Wait 24 hours.
- Compare the two levels.
If the pool has lost significantly more water than the bucket, evaporation isn’t the explanation. That’s a leak.
What the Results Mean
Levels dropped about the same. You’re likely dealing with evaporation, not a leak. Hot weather, wind, and low humidity all pull water out of a pool faster than people expect.
The pool dropped more than the bucket. Your pool is losing water that it shouldn’t be. The bucket test won’t tell you where the leak is, but it confirms something needs to be found and fixed.
The bucket dropped more than the pool. This is uncommon but worth noting. It may mean something is wrong with your auto-fill, possibly masking the actual water loss (we can check this out, too!)
Next Steps
The bucket test tells you there’s a problem, but it doesn’t tell you where. Pool leaks can come from the shell, underground plumbing lines, fittings, or equipment, and finding the source takes more than a visual inspection.
If your results point to a leak, the next step is a professional detection.
At Evolution Leak Detection & Pool Repair, we use non-invasive methods to locate leaks without unnecessary digging or guesswork. We find it, explain what we found, and fix it the same day when possible. No subcontractors, no handoffs, no surprises.
Serving McKinney, Dallas, Frisco, Plano, Allen, and all of DFW.