Is the water level in your pool dropping? We see it every day: pool owners calling us at this time of the year concerned because their pool is losing more than water each week during the current dry season.
Don’t jump to conclusions yet… There may not be any kind of leak in your pool, but rather, simple evaporation.
Our experience shows that a pool with no heater and no waterfalls or water features can lose as much as a 1/4 of an inch of water each day in Central Florida. That’s more than one and a half inches in a week. This is the high scale of evaporation and most pools won’t lose that much water, but it’s still very reasonable to see water loss like this.
What causes pool water evaporation?
There are three main factors for evaporation: Exposure, temperature and humidity levels.
1. Exposure. The more your pool is exposed to the sun and wind, the more evaporation you’ll see. A screened pool will evaporate less than an unscreened pool. A pool surrounded by a fence, trees or a structure will evaporate less than a pool that’s facing an open sky. A pool that isn’t on a lake, golf course or other large piece of land will evaporate less than a pool that is.
2. Temperature. Throughout our cooler months in Central Florida, we see a significant contrast between the daily high and low temperatures; some days excess of 25 degrees. This means your pool heats up during the day and evaporates all night. In fact, if the sun is down and you turn on your pool light, you’ll may be able to actually see the evaporation process taking place above the pool. When conditions are correct for evaporation it does this all night long. That’s visiblw water loss taking place.
3. Humidity. High humidity equals very low evaporation, whereas low humidity equals high evaporation. The air is like a towel or a sponge: The more dry it is, the more water it can hold. During the drier seasons in Florida, we see higher evaporation rates in our pools.
To assess your water loss, here’s an overview of how to take reliable measurements:
1. You’ll need a pencil and a ruler.
2. Before you begin, turn off all waterfalls and water features for the entirety of this test. The exception is a simple spillover from a spa into the pool. Please allow this to run as normal.
3. Turn off solar, propane, electric or other heater types and allow the pool to cool down for two days prior to beginning this test.
4. “Day 0” is the starting day. Fill pool to normal level, being careful not to overfill.
5. Turn your pump off for five minutes, allowing your water level to settle from the turbulence of the pump.
6. Use a pencil on the wall of your skimmer canister to mark the current water level.
7. Turn your pump back on and allow it to run as normal for four days.
8. On the fourth day, turn your pump off for five minutes, allowing your water level to settle from the turbulence of the pump.
9. Use a ruler to measure the distance from the pencil mark made on “Day 0” to the current water level. Now you have a true, reliable measurement of your actual water loss over a four-day period.
A quarter inch per day or less (or 1 inch in the Day 0-4 test) would be considered reasonable evaporation in Central Florida for the dry season (October through May, depending on current rain levels). Losing more than a quarter inch per day in a pool running with no waterfalls, features or heaters is considered a leak.
Did you lose more than a quarter inch per day averaged over the four days? If so, you might possibly have a leak and should consider contacting us so we can refer you to a pool leak specialist.
Share your water level findings with the company and their professionals will be able to give you a more specific expectation of your area’s evaporation rates. Did you lose less than a quarter inch per day? Go ahead and add a bit of water and continue to maintain your pool as you do during the hotter months. People sometimes think they don’t have to monitor their pools like they do in the summer swimming months. Although the intensity of a pool
s needs lessen during the cooler months, it’s always important to care for your pool. If you do, it will always be there for you when you need it!
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