How Do I Know If My Pool Has A Leak Or If It Is Water Evaporation?

Identifying leaks in a swimming pool or spa can be a difficult and expensive task. Leak detection and repairs can cost hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars. Pool owners, everywhere, feel the need to conserve water daily. In drought-stricken states such as California, pool owners cannot afford to lose hardly a drop of water from their pools. A powerful solution is needed, so let’s talk evaporation first.

Evaporation

“Six to eight feet a year is simply the evaporation rate in the parched Southwest,” writes Scott Webb, Executive Editor of AQUA Magazine in his editorial entitled, It’s Time. “We can’t say we’re serious about conserving water if we leave (a swimming pool) sitting out in the sun,” Webb continues. “It’s time for every pool in the southwest to be covered.”

Evaporation is the main reason for water loss.  *A pool in the southwest will lose all of its 18,000 gallons of water every year through evaporation. A pool cover, or solar blanket, will physically cover the pool and reduce evaporation. However, covers are hard to maneuver and prevent you from fully enjoying the aesthetic quality you sought when deciding to install your pool.

Now you can have all the benefits of a pool cover without the hassle, thanks to Aqua Blanket^™.

How does Aqua Blanket^™ work?

Aqua Blanket^™ uses advanced Monolayer Technology to modify the surface layer of water, just one molecule deep, allowing for dramatically reduced evaporation. You cannot see it, feel it, smell it or taste it, but it works! In fact, Aqua Blanket^™ is known as the “pool cover in a bottle”.

Aqua Blanket^™ is easy to use—just one small dose per week, poured onto the water’s surface, conserves water while preserving the beauty and instant availability of your pool. Other liquid products are based on volatile alcohols but, due to its unique plant-derived formula, Aqua Blanket^™ is much more stable and its benefits are long-lasting.

Aqua Blanket^™ suppresses pool water evaporation, providing the following benefits:

• Up to 40% of water can be conserved with Aqua Blanket^™
• Non-toxic and biodegradable
• Safe for all pool surfaces, including vinyl
• Compatible with all sanitizing methods
• Conserves your water and your money

To read more about Aqua Blanket^™ click here.

Pool Leaks

Identifying a pool leak can not only be costly, as mentioned, but the process can be a tedious one. Some professional pool operators have equipment that can detect a leak in your pool, using x-ray or ultra-vision equipment. They can also send cameras or dyes into your system’s plumbing for leak detection. Depending on the size of the leak, expensive excavation and replacement of pipes may be necessary.
Scary, isn’t it? Fortunately, there is a simple test that anyone can do to confirm a leaking pool. It’s called the “Bucket Test”. This test will only confirm a leak if you can successfully eliminate outside causes.
To perform the bucket test, you will need a bucket. A tall 5-gallon bucket works best. Put some kind of weight, such as brick, into the bucket and fill it partially with water. Place the bucket on your pool steps so that the top is above water level, and then fill the bucket until the water level in the bucket is the same as the pool water outside the bucket. Turn off any fountains or waterfalls, because they cause more evaporation than undisturbed water. Otherwise, use your pool as you normally would.

Wait twenty four hours and check the levels. The idea behind the test is that both the bucket and the pool are subjected to the same conditions with regard to temperature, humidity, wind, rain, etc. That being so, if water is leaving through evaporation, they should evaporate at the same rate. If the pool is leaking, the pool level will be lower than the bucket level.

If the bucket test indicates that your water is being depleted from your pool through a leak, rather than evaporation, a product named Lo-Chlor Leak Sealer might help. Leak Sealer’s proprietary formula is designed to seal minor leaks in pools and spas quickly and effectively. If you are losing no more than about one inch of water a day, there’s a good chance Lo-Chlor Leak Sealer can seal the leak.

To use the product, turn your pool or spa’s circulation pump off and bypass your pool or spa filter. Next, pour one  quart of Leak Sealer per 15,000 gallons of water directly into your pool or spa where you believe the leak to be, or pour it directly into your pool’s skimmer. Wait 30 minutes, then turn the circulation pump back on and let it run for a minimum of 8 hours. Leak Sealer’s “nose” for leaks will sniff out the source of the water loss and seal it up! To read more about Lo-Chlor Leak Sealer click here.
More questions or comments about evaporation or water leaks? Please leave us your comments. We love to hear from you!

* Gleick, Peter. “Water Policy: What about All Those Swimming Pools in Los Angeles?” Web blog post. “Significant Figures” by Peter Gleick. Scienceblogs.com, 3 Dec. 2013. Web.