Is My Pool Leaking or Just Evaporating? (Bradenton Bucket Test)
April 28, 2026 · 5 min read
Quick Answer
Quick answer
To tell if your Bradenton pool is leaking or evaporating, run a bucket test: float a bucket of pool water on a step, mark the water levels inside and out, and wait 24 hours. If the pool drops noticeably more than the bucket, you have a leak. Normal Florida evaporation is about a quarter-inch per day.
How much water loss is normal?
In Florida's climate, a pool typically loses around a quarter-inch of water per day to evaporation, more in hot, dry, or windy weather. Losing half an inch or more daily, or topping off more than once a week, usually signals a leak.
The bucket test, step by step
Fill a bucket with pool water and set it on a pool step so it's partially submerged. Mark the water level inside the bucket and the pool level outside it. Turn off the pump and wait 24 hours. If the pool level dropped more than the bucket, the difference is your leak.
Repeat with the pump running to help tell a plumbing-side leak from a shell leak.
When to call for detection
If the bucket test points to a leak, professional pool leak detection uses dye testing and pressure testing to find exactly where — in the shell, fittings, or underground plumbing — so the repair is quick and inexpensive.
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