How to Perform a Pool Bucket Test
Quick answer
A pool bucket test tells a real leak apart from normal evaporation. Fill a 5-gallon bucket with pool water, set it on a pool step so it's partly submerged, mark the water level inside the bucket and the pool level outside, turn off the auto-fill, and wait 24 hours. If the pool dropped about the same as the bucket, it's evaporation. If the pool dropped significantly more, you likely have a leak.
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What you'll need
- A 5-gallon bucket
- Pool water
- A marker or a piece of tape
How to do the bucket test
Run this over 24 hours with no water added to the pool:
- Fill the bucket with pool water until it's about 2–3 inches from the top.
- Place the bucket on a pool step so part of it is submerged — the water inside should sit at about the same level as the pool water outside.
- Mark the water level inside the bucket and the pool water level on the outside.
- Turn off any automatic water-fill system and don't add water to the pool during the test.
- Wait 24 hours.
- Compare the two levels — if the pool dropped about the same as the bucket, it's evaporation; if the pool dropped significantly more, you may have a leak.
For more accurate results
Repeat the test once with the pool equipment running and again with it off. Comparing the two can hint at whether the leak is in the plumbing (more loss with the equipment on) or in the shell/structure. Either way, pinpointing the exact source takes professional leak detection — we test, we don't guess.