Measure water loss with a bucket test under controlled conditions before digging, draining, or calling a leak specialist.
- ✕Do not start with excavation or pressure testing before measuring loss under controlled conditions
- ✕Do not ignore autofill as a masking factor when the waterline looks stable
- ✕Do not classify the loss as a leak until you have separated evaporation and splash-out
Water level change (24h)
Water Loss Decision Tree
Separate evaporation, splash-out, autofill masking, backwash loss, and real leak symptoms on one page before you dig or drain.
Measure the loss under controlled conditions
Start by eliminating the obvious masking factors.
Check the common non-leak causes first
A lot of 'leaks' are really operating behavior.
Compare pump-on and pump-off behavior
The running state often tells you whether the issue is hydraulic or environmental.
Read the symptom pattern
Use where the water goes and how fast it disappears to classify the problem.
Decide the next move
Use the classification to choose the next page instead of guessing.
Resources (7)
Leak detection and water loss
Use the broader leak page when you still need to prove whether the loss is real before isolation or pressure testing.
Bucket test sheet
Use the printable sheet when you want a one-page measurement log before you classify the loss.
Pressure testing handoff
Use the handoff guide when the next step is packaging evidence for a leak specialist.
Cover water management
Use the cover guide when evaporation, standing cover water, or cover hardware is part of the loss pattern.
Pool covers
Use the cover-selection guide when you need to reduce evaporation or heat loss as part of the decision tree.
Spring opening
Use the opening workflow when startup, topping off, or debris removal is complicating the water level.
Flood, storm, and disaster recovery
Use the storm-recovery guide when the water loss may be tied to damage or runoff instead of ordinary operation.
Educational guidance only. Verify labels, manuals, local code, and site conditions before acting. Stop for electrical, gas, structural, drain, drowning, injury, emergency, or chemical-mixing risk.