Routine maintenance and cleaning
Telling evaporation from water loss
Every outdoor pool in Dubai loses water to evaporation. The question is whether what you are losing is only evaporation.
Hot air, sun, wind and low humidity drive evaporation from an uncovered pool. Infinity edges, spillways and water features increase it further. Losing some water every week, particularly in summer, is normal, and topping up is part of routine maintenance.
Routine guides describe one part of regular pool care and how to do it properly.
If water loss seems unusually high, a simple comparison helps: a bucket test. A bucket filled with pool water and placed on a step, with the water level marked inside and outside, shows whether the pool is losing more than evaporation would explain. Greater loss in the pool than in the bucket suggests water is escaping somewhere, which needs investigating by a specialist — leak detection is outside routine maintenance.
The short version
Evaporation is normal
Heat, wind and sun all increase it.
Features add to it
Spillways and infinity edges evaporate more.
Compare with a bucket test
It separates evaporation from loss.
The bucket test
Set up
Place a bucket on a step, fill it to the pool level and mark both levels.
Wait
Leave it with the pump running as normal.
Compare
If the pool drops more than the bucket, water may be escaping.
Equipment-side water loss
Drips at the pump, filter, valves and heater connections, or a waste line left running, lose water that is easy to find in the plant room.
Before assuming a leak
- 01
Check backwash habits
Frequent backwashing removes water.
- 02
Check auto top-ups
A faulty valve can mislead.
- 03
Consider splash-out
Heavy use loses water.
Common questions
How much water loss is normal?
It varies with weather and pool design; a bucket test gives a comparison for your pool.
Does a cover reduce evaporation?
Yes, significantly.
What if the bucket test shows loss?
Arrange investigation by a specialist; routine maintenance does not include leak detection.
Does the pump need to be off for the bucket test?
Run the test as the pool normally runs, then repeat with the pump off; a difference between the two narrows down where water could be going.
Related pool care guides
- Keeping a pool maintenance logA routine task that prevents the same trouble.
- Looking after a pool coverA routine task that prevents the same trouble.
- Pool maintenance when you rent a villaPool care for a related situation.
- Looking after a plunge poolPool care for a related situation.
This guide sits under pool maintenance. Browse all pool care guides. We look after pools at homes and commercial properties across Dubai.
Ask about your pool
Describe the pool and the question. We will answer directly, and say when the honest answer is that nothing needs doing.
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Next step
Losing more water than expected?
Tell us how much you top up and how often. We will check equipment-side causes and suggest next steps.