Bucket test accuracy

[PoolDoc]

Sounds reasonable. Let me know what you find.

[MikeM]

Well, setting the bucket deeper in the pool water has definitely eliminated any temperature differential. Both are 86 degrees as of 8am this morning.

I'm still losing about 1/4" more water in the pool than in the bucket over 24 hours. But I'm not sure I'm getting a good reading on the levels. The bucket is less stable on the second step and wobbles around a lot. I also had to pull it out for a few hours because our granddaughter came over and wanted to swim. So I'll have to reset everything today and try to get it more stable on the concrete block.

I also need to add some water to the pool... still losing right at 0.44 inches per day after 5 days. My hole in the ground where the pipes are exposed is still dry as a bone. I'll post again after I have a better reading on the bucket levels.

My son was here also. He was a pool tech for 4 years and also owns a pool now. He said that he loses 2.5 to 3 inches per week, which works out to be 0.35 to 0.43 inches per day. From his tech days, he said that evaporation up to 1/2" is not unusual this time of year in Texas. He also said the bucket test is only reliable if you are seeing large differences of at least 3/4" or more.. something about the larger surface area for the pool.

[PoolDoc]

Don't want to get into a family dispute here . . . but if you control water depth, temperature, and exposure to wind (via a low bucket top, relative to the pool) . . . the bucket test is reliable.

Period.

I have close association with some pool techs, and they are ALWAYS in too much of a hurry to do finicky little tasks correctly. Route-based pool service profitability lives or dies by pool call brevity. So, at least for the pool techs I know, it is probably true that "bucket test is only reliable if you are seeing large differences of at least 3/4" or more". But that limitation is not intrinsic to the test itself.