The Bucket Test: How to Tell If Your Pool Is Leaking or Just Evaporating

How the bucket test works

Fill a bucket with pool water and set it on the top step of your pool so the water inside the bucket is level with the pool water outside. Mark the water line inside and outside the bucket. Wait 24 hours.

Reading the results

If the pool water dropped more than the bucket water, you have a leak. If both dropped the same amount, it is evaporation. In Oklahoma summers, normal evaporation is about a quarter inch per day.

Tips for accurate results

Turn off your auto-fill before the test. Do not run the pool pump during the test unless you want to test for a plumbing leak specifically. Run the test on a calm day — wind increases evaporation and can throw off results.

What to do if you confirm a leak

Do not wait. A small leak gets worse over time, especially in Oklahoma where red clay soil shifts around the damage and turns a simple vessel leak into an underground pipe failure. Call ProLeak at (405) 577-8725 — we will find it and fix most vessel leaks on the spot for a $499 flat rate.

If detection shows the leak is in an underground pipe, we offer CoreLine™ Restoration — no-dig pool pipe repair — as a separate service at $4,000–$4,500 per line, backed by a 10-year structural warranty. Your deck stays perfect either way.

See the signs? Do not wait

ProLeak finds pool leaks fast — and if it is an underground pipe, we are Oklahoma's only CoreLine™ Restoration specialist. We fix it from inside the pipe, so your deck never gets touched. Backed by a 10-year structural warranty.

Call (405) 577-8725 to get on the schedule. We answer every call, day or night.

Save your backyard. Not just your pipe

Before you let anyone jackhammer or saw into your deck, talk to us. CoreLine™ Restoration rebuilds your pool pipe from the inside — no digging, no mismatched concrete patches, no destroyed landscaping. Priced at $4,000–$4,500 per line and backed by a 10-year structural warranty.

Already have a leak report and a repair quote from another company? Email ken@proleak.pro for a Free Second Opinion — no trip charge, no obligation.