WELCOME TO RIVER DAVES PLACE

Pool.....evaporation, or leak?

Bigbore500r

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2014
Messages
17,361
Reaction score
35,098
We're getting settled in the new house and i've been monitoring the pool water level. It seems we have to add water for 30-40 minutes every 2.5 - 3 days to keep the level up. I let it go for 4 1/2 days and ended up running the fill for 50 minutes yesterday. Not sure on the GPM of flow from the pool fill, but it goes thru a sprinkler valve and then thru PVC under concrete, flow appears to be similar to a 50' 5/8" garden hose with average pressure.

The pool is 30,000 gallons, plaster 17 x 34 with a 5' x 8' Jacuzzi. In between fills we are using the Jacuzzi 1-2 times at night and the kids usually swim twice.

Does this seem excessive or should I start looking in to a leak detection company? I've yet to do the "bucket test" and see if evap is on par with pool level drop, but im told all plaster pools leak a bit to some degree so it will never match exactly.

What say ye?
 

EBT531

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2018
Messages
689
Reaction score
634
That sounds normal to me. Its hot right now so evap is bad in AZ.
 

Runs2rch

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2013
Messages
9,455
Reaction score
9,445
That sounds normal to me. Its hot right now so evap is bad in AZ.
This is his new CA house. I'm going to say pool is losing water. Had a buddy deal with this with his house. Of course owner didn't disclose.
 

RVR_RCN

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 20, 2020
Messages
228
Reaction score
550
I have a similar issue and think I also have a leak. I paid to have a pressure check done on all the pipes and that passed so I felt better. It's good sanity check for not much money, think my service call was $80. I have also been told that a lot of times leaks will happen where the skimmer meets the gunite as separation can occur.
 

hallett3

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2011
Messages
1,251
Reaction score
2,760
Seems normal . With it being hot and with normal wind it will evaporate more. When the weather gets colder it won’t evaporate that much. When we get Santa Ana winds it’s evaporates a lot .
 

badluck

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2007
Messages
984
Reaction score
697
Where the skimmer meets the gunite and also check for hairline cracks in the skimmer bucket.
 

CoolCruzin

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Messages
3,339
Reaction score
2,843
Seem normal .
I have seen days where the water evaporates faster than other days .
The bucket test for me never works out right .
Enjoy you pool !

.
 

Motor Boater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2007
Messages
4,353
Reaction score
3,741
When my boys swim they are in and out of the water, cannonballs, splashing etc so my pool loses a lot of water between that and evaporation. If you were in AZ I would say it’s normal but I’m not sure in Cali. Unless it’s been really hot.
 

DrunkenSailor

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2017
Messages
7,470
Reaction score
10,396
My kids always make me think we have a leak. Then they stay out of the pool for a week and I realize it's them....
 

Wizard29

43' Eliminator
Joined
Apr 12, 2011
Messages
2,708
Reaction score
7,161
I hate to say it, but that sounds excessive to me. Let’s say the flow rate is 20GPM based on your thought that it’s about the same as a 50’ 5/8” garden hose. If you’re letting that run for 40 minutes every 3 days, that would mean you are losing around 266 gallons per day. Seems like a lot.

My pool is about 20’ x 45’ and I have to top off about an inch or so of water every two weeks. I do keep a partial cover on it at this time of year to keep the heat in it, reduce evaporation, keep the chlorine in it, and keep crap in the air out of it.

Maybe try throwing a cover on it for a few days and see what that does?
 

Bear Down

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2011
Messages
894
Reaction score
1,351
As stated with others, I have some days that it seems it evaporates more than other days. but when my kids go swimming, you can see the difference after a few hours. When they don't swim..its pretty consistent.. Tim at So Cal Pools told me when I first moved into our house about my future possibility of needing some work and piping done, since my pool was built in the 70s... I had asked about signs of a pool leak, Tim mentioned that it would be very obvious and not subtle...
 

Waterjunky

RDP Inmate #94
Joined
Sep 24, 2007
Messages
4,720
Reaction score
3,948
The gallons of water really means nothing, its all relative to the surface area. How many inches or millimeters are you losing a day. In hot, dry conditions with a little wind you can easily lose a half an inch. This also does not account for the use and kids. If conditions around your house are all stone and paving (Neighborhood not yard) and you have wind across the actual pool this can be higher. Full sun exposure also has a large influence.
 

Flying_Lavey

Dreaming of the lake
Joined
Feb 13, 2008
Messages
20,405
Reaction score
17,196
Another thing I havent seen anybody mention, are any jets running when its not being used? And are they oriented in such a manner that they create surface disruptions? If so, that will increase the amount of evaporation as the surface area is greatly increased as well as water droplets will actually be thrown into the air at the same time.
 

Mr. C

going back in time
Joined
Dec 19, 2007
Messages
8,722
Reaction score
10,240
Do you have a spill over as well, that adds to the evaporation. I assume you have checked your pumps and filter and there is no leaking or dampness around them.
With the heat we have had i have noticed more evaporation than normal.
As said , call the home warranty.

If it was cooler I'd say shut off the pumps for 2 days and see how much you lose.
 

Ziggy

SlumLord
Joined
Sep 20, 2007
Messages
38,886
Reaction score
43,230
I've never not heard the autofill on my Havasu house run. But it's not a gusher refill, more of a little pisser.
I'd imagine you can check water usage history on your house and see if it has made any dramatic changes.
 

minijeep

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2011
Messages
680
Reaction score
287
I’m in California I can say I’ve worried about mine leaking, but noticed without a pool cover I have to feel it a couple times a week. With the pool cover on I can go a couple weeks without feeling. So it sounds normal to me.
 

Cdog

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2008
Messages
8,056
Reaction score
16,231
I thought I had a problem with this while I was staying the summer in Newport. My water bill and water usage was 3x's what it normally was. Turns out the water float was adjusted funky and would run almost constantly and the filter gasket would trickle. When the pool ran the waterfall a lot of water would evaporate too.

Some things to check.
 

SoCalDave

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2011
Messages
12,574
Reaction score
28,119
Been there done that Jerry.
Get a 5 gallon bucket and set it on a step in the pool. Fill it to the level of the pool and monitor it for a couple of days. The levels should remain about the same. If the pool level goes much lower than the water level in the bucket you probably have a leak.
 
Last edited:

rmarion

Stop The Steal
Joined
Mar 14, 2008
Messages
11,872
Reaction score
27,895
20200918_094823.jpg
 

DanG

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2020
Messages
230
Reaction score
530
Sounds normal. I have had the same concerns over the years as some summers are worse than others with evaporation. Have done the bucket test a few times and was about the same. My pool is 22k gallons and have to fill for an hour 1-2 times per week this summer.
 

2Driver

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2007
Messages
16,684
Reaction score
29,944
We are close to cooler temps, wait and see if things change.

Our pool in N Scottsdale loses quite a bit. Before we installed an auto water feed I could leave a hose on slow dribble 24/7 in the summer. Just a basic pool with no water feature.
 

185EZ

Takin it EZ
Joined
May 14, 2018
Messages
2,671
Reaction score
9,651
Are you adding water in addition to your auto fill? Then that may be a problem or your autofill doesn't have enough flow. Just lift the float and feel the pressure
Our pool is half the size of yours and in the heat of the havasu summer I wanted to see how much water I lose to evaporation
I shut off water for 24 hours to everything
Turned on the pool autofill and it used 135 gallons in one day and that's without a breeze
My buddy has a pool with a lot of surface area and over 50,000 gallons and big spillways
He used 335 gallons in one day
 

Lavey29

Floatin Dirty
Joined
Feb 15, 2008
Messages
3,932
Reaction score
5,196
I just had my pool checked for this. If you have a pool that was gunite sprayed in the past 20 years you have problems. The shit dissolves over time in areas like steps and jacuzzi benches where they used the excess to form the step. Plaster or pebbletec then becomes the only thing holding water in because the steps are hollow inside now. Small crack in plaster and water leaks. You can easily check this by draining a little water out and use a hammer to soft tap your steps. It will sound hollow versus tapping your concrete deck or something. Pool guy told me he has seen hundreds of pools with this eroding gunite problem. They use shotcrete now which is much better balanced with sand.
 

TOOLSHED

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2010
Messages
225
Reaction score
79
I live in same general area and only need to add water 20-25 mins every couple of weeks. Similar sized pool.
 

traquer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2013
Messages
3,675
Reaction score
4,869
Just wait till it cools off, if it drops drastically, then I wouldn't worry about it.
 

Tom Slick

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2008
Messages
1,964
Reaction score
4,344
Do the bucket test. Mark the inside of a 5 gallon bucket and fill the bucket up to the line. Mark a line inside your skimmer and raise the pool water line to that mark. Do this simultaneously and check both marks in 24 hours from the time you start the test. If the level in the bucket and the level in the pool show the same amount of loss, (1/4") for both, you do not have a leak. If the pool looses more than the bucket looses in that 24 hour time period, you are loosing water somewhere. If there are no visible cracks in the skimmer, pool shell, or leaking above ground plumbing and equipment, I'd recommend giving American Leak Detection a call.
 

Waterjunky

RDP Inmate #94
Joined
Sep 24, 2007
Messages
4,720
Reaction score
3,948
Been there done that Jerry.
Get a 5 gallon bucket and set it on a step. Fill it to the level of the pool and monitor it for a couple of days. The levels should remain about the same. If the pool level goes much lower than the water level in the bucket you probably have leak.
To actually mean something there are several more details. The bucket needs to be lighter in color, preferably white, it also needs to have a minimum of freeboard between it and the water. There are a few other details but these are the bigger ones. If you have too much bucket sticking out you have to much wind protection or not enough thermal connectivity between the water bodies. And then there is the splash issue from both wind and kids.
 

jet496

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 9, 2012
Messages
3,526
Reaction score
6,072
I did the bucket test & found we had a major leakage where the skimmer basket meets the pool. That is typically where you'll find a leak opposed to through the pool gunite. I could've fixed it myself but paid somebody a few hundred dollars to fill in where the leak was with foam & then seal the joint. It's a common problem.
 

C08H18

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2018
Messages
582
Reaction score
722
i have an auto filler, but long ago i measured 3/4" daily drop due to evaporation. i think it's normal.
 

stooge

New Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2020
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
I don't have a cover on my pool and lose about an inch a day in the summer. I had it checked about 8 years ago and the guy said it was normal and if there was a leak it would lose a lot more.
 

PaPaG

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2007
Messages
4,332
Reaction score
4,701
In Vegas we used to lose 2.5-3 inches a week during the hot summers, we had leak detector come in and after checking he said 100% normal for out here especially how our pool was positioned and in the sun the entire day.....pool was in the sun from 6am to 7pm....he told us if we covered it we would cut it down to .5 maybe .75 a week....did we cover it, NOPE I just turned on the auto fill and forgot about it...
 

STV_Keith

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2009
Messages
2,824
Reaction score
1,412
My house has a pool that's roughly 15 x 32. When we bought it 2.5 years ago, I was amazed at how fast it lost water. The spigot for the pool runs 10gals/min based on the meter I have, and it would take 20 minutes a week (200 gals), easy...sometimes 300 gals. The old owners left me a solar cover, which I installed the winter of the first year. The water stopped dropping. I figured this was due to the ambient temps being cooler, but once it heated back up, the water still didn't go down.

The first summer, the pool never got over 74*. We don't have a heater, so it was just too cold. With the solar cover in place, I've seen the pool get to 100* about May/June. We just take the cover off for a day or two and it's back in the 80's pretty quickly.

For the $150 or so for a cover, I'd suggest you try this first and see how it affects your water usage before spending bigger money on looking for a leak. Just my free opinion. :)
 

bk2drvr

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2015
Messages
1,659
Reaction score
2,099
My dad just went through this at his house in HB. A 45yo pool, the spring failed in the brass check valve at the bottom of the pool. Something occurred to cause the valve face surface to rise and a partical of sand/small rock propped the valve open. Crazy shit but we replaced it and its been fine now for over two months. He was shitting bricks but $130 dollars and the problem was solved.
 

Mandelon

Coffee makes me poop.
Joined
Sep 24, 2007
Messages
13,963
Reaction score
18,524
Turn off the equipment for a few days and see if the water level stops dropping at the level of the skimmer or the return lines.

If it drops an inch a day but stops at the height of the skimmer, that's probably your leak source.

If the water continues to drop and stops at the return lines, then the leak is likely in the lines somewhere.

You may want to just wait out the summer and see if the leaks continue in the fall.

I have a leak at my skimmer basket. If I stop refilling the pool, the level drops to the bottom of the skimmer intake. I have to jackhammer out the concrete and dig all that area up. It's a pain....and water is cheap in comparison.
 

500bbc

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
26,381
Reaction score
40,037
We're getting settled in the new house and i've been monitoring the pool water level. It seems we have to add water for 30-40 minutes every 2.5 - 3 days to keep the level up. I let it go for 4 1/2 days and ended up running the fill for 50 minutes yesterday. Not sure on the GPM of flow from the pool fill, but it goes thru a sprinkler valve and then thru PVC under concrete, flow appears to be similar to a 50' 5/8" garden hose with average pressure.

The pool is 30,000 gallons, plaster 17 x 34 with a 5' x 8' Jacuzzi. In between fills we are using the Jacuzzi 1-2 times at night and the kids usually swim twice.

Does this seem excessive or should I start looking in to a leak detection company? I've yet to do the "bucket test" and see if evap is on par with pool level drop, but im told all plaster pools leak a bit to some degree so it will never match exactly.

What say ye?
Shut off filter, bucket test two to three days.
Will show if shell is leaking
Turn system back on, bucket test again.
Will show if plumbing is leaking.
 

HOOTER SLED-

Supercharged MOTORBOAT!!!
Joined
Dec 19, 2007
Messages
27,065
Reaction score
23,676
Been pretty hot at my house...I think I maybe turn the water on once a week during this weather....unless it gets used alot.
 

CoolCruzin

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Messages
3,339
Reaction score
2,843
When I leave fo the river for 4 day .
I crack the fill valve open a bit in the hotter months . Next pool I will have a auto fill .
I hate to worry about it .
Been doing this forever .
 

Mikes56

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 11, 2019
Messages
1,224
Reaction score
2,130
I live in Santa Clarita and it gets hot here in the summer. My pool drops 1"-2" every day in the summer. In the winter, not at all.
 

BHC Vic

cobra performance boats
Joined
May 24, 2014
Messages
24,743
Reaction score
18,408
That sounds like a lot. I’m in norco which is pretty hot and I fill once a week maybe every other week. If I don’t the skimmer makes a suction noise.
 

Mr. C

going back in time
Joined
Dec 19, 2007
Messages
8,722
Reaction score
10,240
I live in Santa Clarita and it gets hot here in the summer. My pool drops 1"-2" every day in the summer. In the winter, not at all.

I’m in Castaic and I fill mine once a week every Friday night / Saturday morning. About 2 1/2 to 3 inches during these hot summer days. Winters and cooler times not so much obviously.
About 24 k gallon pool. With spill over
Just took about 15 minutes. But I do have 3/4 piping manual fill off the main.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:

HOOTER SLED-

Supercharged MOTORBOAT!!!
Joined
Dec 19, 2007
Messages
27,065
Reaction score
23,676
That sounds like a lot. I’m in norco which is pretty hot and I fill once a week maybe every other week. If I don’t the skimmer makes a suction noise.
Lol...dude you're gonna fuck your pump up if it's running that low. Think jet boat on the trailer running out of water...🙃
 

BHC Vic

cobra performance boats
Joined
May 24, 2014
Messages
24,743
Reaction score
18,408
Lol...dude you're gonna fuck your pump up if it's running that low. Think jet boat on the trailer running out of water...🙃
It doesn’t ever get that low, I have a pool guy, but I know how much water it loses because he only comes once a week and I watch it
 
Top