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Making a Splash

By Evelyn Bruder

Real Estate Agent with Steinborn & Associates Real Estate

April 03, 2010 11:21 AM

Now that the temperatures are slowly going up, I keep thinking to myself ‘A dip in the pool sure would feel nice about now!’ and I know from the past that this sort of thinking is only going to start happening more frequently as the temperature keeps rising. I don't have a pool, but many of my friends do. But before the high-temps really start kicking in, one of the first things I advise them to put on their spring cleaning to-do list is to give their pool a quick glance over...

If you aren't lucky enough to have a house with a pool, but you are thinking that you might want to move up to a home with a pool, visit my dream home finder and together we'll find the perfect home - complete with a pool or enough space to build one. For those of you that are lucky enough to have a home with a pool, there are a few things to keep an eye out for—one of the most important are leaks in the pool plumbing, leaks in the pool shell, and excessive splash out or evaporation from the pool. I’d recommend checking for excessive evaporation before you start getting too worried about leaks. One trick I learned last spring was the 'bucket test'. Here are the few simple steps to follow in order to find out if your pool is indeed okay:

Place a 5 gallon bucket on the second step or bench seat and fill it with water so that it is exactly the same level as the swim pool.

If evaporation is the cause of your loss, both levels should drop at the same rate.

If the bucket drops faster, you probably have a thirsty dog or kids who are playing dangerously close to the pool.

But seriously, If the water level in the pool is dropping faster than the water level in the bucket, you have a leak.

This test isn't perfect, but it can be a good indicator of major leaks. If you do the 'bucket test' and find out that you do in fact have a leak, there are a few hot-spots to check for leaks. Ultimately you are probably going to have to call a pool professional, but sometimes it’s nice to know ahead of time the general area of your problem. A few places to look before you call a professional:

Inspect around the filter pad for obvious leaks.

Look for damp spots or drips around the edge of the pool. A steady drip will result in a lot of water loss over a long period of time.

************************** Evelyn Bruder, CRS, GRI, ABR, E-PRO, Las Cruces Cyberstar The Evelyn Bruder Dream Team http://www.homesforsaleinlascruces.com For more information about what we do and how we can provide all of your real estate needs, CLICK HERE We welcome comments and questions - CLICK HERE