In the dry heat of the Antelope Valley, pool water evaporates quickly. It's completely normal to lose a quarter to a half-inch of water per day during the peak of summer. However, if you find yourself dragging the hose out every few days to keep the water level above the skimmer, you likely have a hidden leak.
A pool leak is more than just an annoyance; it wastes thousands of gallons of water, throws off your chemical balance, and can cause catastrophic structural damage if water undermines the pool deck or shell.
The Bucket Test: Is it Evaporation or a Leak?
Before calling in the pros, you can perform a simple "Bucket Test" to confirm a leak:
- Place a 5-gallon bucket on the second step of your pool.
- Fill the bucket with pool water so the water level inside the bucket exactly matches the water level outside the bucket.
- Mark the water level on the inside and outside of the bucket with a piece of tape or a marker.
- Wait 24 hours (leave the pump off).
- If the water level in the pool has dropped significantly more than the water level inside the bucket, you have a leak.
How AV Pool Pros Finds the Leak
Finding a leak in thousands of gallons of water, underground pipes, and complex equipment requires advanced technology. We use a multi-step approach:
- Visual Inspection: Checking the equipment pad, pump seals, and filter valves for obvious drips.
- Dye Testing: Using specialized dye around the skimmer throat, return jets, and light niches to see if water is being actively pulled out of the pool.
- Pressure Testing: We cap off the plumbing lines and pressurize them with air or water to identify underground pipe breaks.
- Sonar/Acoustic Detection: Using highly sensitive microphones to listen for the exact location of water escaping underground.
Once we pinpoint the leak, we provide a transparent, comprehensive repair plan. Stop wasting water and risking structural damage—call AV Pool Pros for expert leak detection today.