If pool owners or maintenance workers are constantly filling up the pool, there may be a leak. On average, swimming pools lose about a quarter of an inch of water each day, yet variations in wind intensity, humidity and sunlight can drastically change water loss rates.
You can do the “bucket test” on your pool to measure evaporation. Place a bucket of water beside the pool and mark both the water in the bucket and the pool water level. Wait 24 hours then check the loss of both. If the pool loses more water than the bucket, then you have a leak.
Pool Is Losing 1 Inch of Water Per Day
Losing more than ½” of pool water per day indicates you likely have a leak in your pool's structure or your pool pump system. You should call your pool service for a thorough leak inspection. You might not be able to keep up with refilling your pool at this point.
Quick answer: You can expect to lose between 2 mm to 2 inches of water in your pool per week due to evaporation, depending on the various factors we'll get into in this article.
Most pools experience between 3mm - 7mm of water loss each day, depending on where you live.
How often should I have to fill my pool? This will vary depending upon several factors including: weather, if the pool is covered or not, bather load, and if it is heated or not. With pools that are covered, a good rule of thumb is that they should not have to be refilled more often than once every 2 weeks.
Typically, pools lose water for one of two reasons: Evaporation or a leak. Evaporation naturally occurs in any body of water, but it may increase under certain conditions, such as hot, humid weather. Leaks, however, indicate a bigger problem that a professional may need to address.
If your pool lost water overnight and it is more than the quarter-inch due to evaporation, you probably have a leak. Evaporation accounts for a minor amount of water lost each day. Losing a half-inch or more overnight indicates a problem.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO MINIMIZE WATER LOSS
The number-one way to combat evaporation is with a pool cover. It's estimated that a pool cover will reduce evaporation by 95 percent. Solar covers can heat your pool in the off-season, too. A pool cover reduces the pool's chemical consumption and reduces your cleaning time.
Lower Your Water Temperature
As we know, warmer water evaporates at a faster rate than cooler water because the molecules are moving faster. As the temperatures drop, the warm water evaporates even faster.
The pressurized plumbing system pumps water back to the pool after it has passed through the filter. The filtered water returns to the pool through the jet (or return) inlets. The plumbing that returns the water from the filter to the pool is often referred to as return plumbing.
Look closely at the filter, pump, heater, and pipe valves, which is where leaks often tend to occur. If you have a vinyl pool liner, look for tears or separations around the fittings, lights, steps, and corners.
An uncovered pool will lose water in the winter to evaporation in the same way it does during the summer. But the water loss is only about a quarter-inch on average during a 24-hour period when the pool is not in use. An uncovered or covered pool can have problems in the plumbing lines or pump.
It is recommended you have your water level between one-third and one-half up the swimming pool skimmer box opening. If the level is higher than that, it may slow or even stop debris from being pulled into the skimmer box through the plate or valve.
The average pool water evaporation rate is about a quarter of an inch of water per day or more than two inches in a week, which on a 33′ x 18′ swimming pool (an average pool size) is more than 2500 liters or approximately 600 gallons a week; this may vary depending on your climate and the factors listed above.
Depending on your landscaping and location, this can become a huge problem for pools that do not have automatic covers. Windy conditions change the surface area of the pool water and increase heat loss as well as evaporation.
As a result, most evaporation actually occurs at night. This might seem counter-intuitive, but the reason is that at night the pool water is relatively warm, but the air temperature has dropped. What is this? Therefore, the difference between the air and water temperatures is greater – thus, more evaporation occurs.
The differential that occurs between the pool water temperature and the air temperature on late summer nights causes water to evaporate at an accelerated rate. In some cases you might see a water level difference of 1-3 inches overnight. Depending on the size of your pool, that can be over 500 gallons of water loss!
Your pool also loses water in summer, up to 2 inches per week, due to the heat of the air. You can employ a swimming pool cover to protect the pool from these powerful rays. A pool cover will also keep heat in your pool when the weather is cold. In summer, the air around the pool is hotter than the pool water.
Depending on various environmental factors—including your location, average daily temperature, and the amount of sun your pool gets every day—your pool may lose more than half a centimeter of water every day. This translates to just under five centimeters a week, on average.
But did you know there's an easy way to reuse the water that's already in the pool? All you have to do is recycle it! Meet reverse osmosis — the best way to purify your swimming pool water. It works by pushing the existing water through semipermeable membranes that hold off any impurities, particles, and buildup.
Drip some food coloring around the inside faceplate of the skimmer to see if there is a leak there. Also, look in the skimmer to be sure that there are no cracks in the skimmer. In concrete pools, the interface between the skimmer and the pool shell is a very common place for a leak.
There are more than 2 million miles of PVC pipe in service today, and rigid PVC pipe (Schedule 40) is the standard for pool plumbing pipe. Highly durable rigid PVC pipe is capable of a lifespan of over 75 years when properly installed.
Pool leaks can be caused by a variety of factors, including improper pool winterization or typical pool wear and tear over time. Even a minuscule pool leak may seriously harm your pool's construction, plumbing, mechanical systems, and water quality over time.