How to use the Bucket Test to check for leaks in Texas soil

“Austin’s shifting clay soil can be hard on pool pipes. The bucket test is your first line of defense.”

If you’re adding water more than twice a week, you might have a leak. But before you call a leak detection specialist, you should perform a “Bucket Test.”

Expert Bucket Test Steps:

1. Prep the Bucket: Fill a 5-gallon bucket with pool water.
2. Position It: Set the bucket on the first or second step of your pool. This ensures the water in the bucket stays at the same temperature as the pool water.
3. Mark the Levels: Mark the water level inside the bucket and the pool water level on the outside of the bucket.
4. Wait 24 Hours: Turn off any waterfalls or fountains during this time.
5. Compare: After 24 hours, measure the drop in both. If the pool dropped more than the bucket, you have a leak.

Austin Detail: The “Blackland Prairie” soil in parts of Leander and Cedar Park is notorious for shifting. This movement can cause “ground-fault” leaks in your PVC plumbing that only show up when the soil dries out in the summer.

Sent from my iPhone while investigating a leak in Cedar Park.