Whether Vinyl, tile, Gunnite, or Plaster, there are numerous places you can have a leak in your in-ground pool.

The Bucket Test

We want to ensure that the source of water drain is not due to just evaporation. Take a painters bucket and place it on the first step of your pool. Fill it with water to match the water line of the pool. Take a permanent marker and mark the inside of the bucket at the water line. On the outside, mark the water line of the pool. Turn off your pool pumps and wait 24 to 48 hours.

After this time, if the water line inside the bucket and outside of the bucket is the same, it’s just evaporation. If there’s a severe mismatch in water levels, you very may well have a leak.

Now we have to begin the process of ruling things out. The two places where pools leak the most are in the return lines, or the skimmer lines.

1.) To test the return lines, visit your local pool supply store and ask them to assist you in purchasing stopper plugs for your pool jets. Use these plugs to cover all of the inbound jets into the pool. Again, wait 24 to 48 hours and apply the bucket test again to see if the water levels differ.

2.) To test the skimmer lines, remove the plugs from the jets, and instead plug the skimmer into the pool. Again wait 24 to 48 hours and apply the bucket test to see if the water lines differ.

If NEITHER of these tests confirm where the leak is coming from, it’s time to call in a professional, but at least you could have rooted out the more obvious issues!