How do I know if my pool is leaking?
Run a bucket test: float a filled bucket on a step so inside and outside water start level, leave the pump on its normal schedule for 24 hours, then compare. If the pool dropped noticeably more than the bucket, you have a leak rather than evaporation.
Signs beyond the water line
- Soggy or unusually green ground near the equipment pad
- Air bubbles from return jets after the pump primes
- Water level settling at the same spot each time — often a light niche or skimmer
- Cracked or shifting deck sections
- Water bills climbing with no change in household use
- Auto-fill running far more than it used to
Where the level stops tells you a lot
If loss halts at the skimmer mouth, the skimmer throat or its plumbing is a strong suspect. If it stops at the light, the conduit is worth checking. If water keeps dropping well below every fitting, the leak is likely in the shell or main drain line.
Florida sand shifts, and a small plumbing leak can undermine a deck long before it looks dramatic. Finding it early is much cheaper than repairing what it washes out.