Skip to content
forebot.
Sign inBook a demo

Pool losing water or auto-fill always running.

A pool service technician or leak specialist should isolate the loss, and a licensed contractor should decide on any draining.

Customers put it like this

  • I keep having to add water
  • our water bill jumped
  • auto-fill never stops
  • puddle under the heat pump
Prepare this job in ForeBotFind another guide

Stop first if

  • Someone plans to drain an in-ground pool to find a leak.Do not drain yet. Groundwater can lift the shell. Have a licensed contractor or engineer review it.
  • The shell moves or lifts while draining.Stop draining if it can be done without risk. Keep everyone away. Call a licensed contractor or engineer.
  • Leak water reaches powered equipment.Stay out of the water. Shut off power only if it can be done without risk. Call a licensed electrician.
01

Ask on the call

6

Homeowner? These are the questions a good technician will ask you. Having the answers ready makes the first visit count.

  1. How often do you add water, or how often does the fill run?
  2. Have your water bills gone up?
  3. When did you last backwash, and for how long?
  4. Has it rained hard or overflowed lately?
  5. Have salt and stabilizer both dropped?
  6. Does the level fall faster with the pump on or off?
02

Bring

4
  • Pool water test kit with salt and stabilizer
  • Tape measure or marked level gauge
  • Water meter log sheet
  • Flashlight
03

Check on site

6
  1. Collect fill history, bills, backwash dates, rain and past salt and stabilizer tests.
  2. Estimate evaporation for the season and compare it with water added.
  3. Test salt and stabilizer together.
  4. Watch the auto-fill cycle for rapid on and off.
  5. Turn auto-fill off and track level with the pump on, then off.
  6. On a dripping heat pump, turn it off with the filter pump running, then test the drip for chlorine.
04

Keep on the record

4
  • Dated level readings with pump on and pump off
  • Water bills or fill counts
  • Salt and stabilizer trend
  • Photo of any drip and where it starts

General guidance for a qualified person, not a finding about any home. The person on site decides.