Should I fill the pool before you come out for leak detection?

Yes. The pool should be filled to the middle of the skimmer opening, normal operating level, before the visit. If the pool has dropped below the skimmer, fill it the night before using a garden hose. The water must also be clear enough to see the floor, walls, lights, and fittings during the underwater inspection. Turn the autofill off the night before so we can observe the actual water level when we arrive.

What if my pool water is green or cloudy before the visit?

Reschedule or treat the water first. Green or heavily cloudy water prevents a thorough underwater inspection, we cannot safely see the floor, fittings, and lights well enough to dye test accurately. A murky pool visit produces incomplete results that do not serve you. Treat the water to clear first, then call to reschedule.

Should I turn off the autofill before you come out?

Yes. Turn the autofill off the night before the visit. This lets us observe the actual water level when we arrive, which is one of the most useful diagnostic clues we have. If the autofill is on, the pool stays at a fixed level and we cannot read the stabilization point the pool would naturally drop to.

Should I Fill the Pool Before You Come Out? | Leak and Subsurface Locators

Direct Answer

Yes. The pool should be filled to the middle of the skimmer opening, normal operating level, before we arrive. Fill it the night before if it has dropped below that. The water must also be clear enough to see the floor, walls, lights, and fittings underwater. Turn the autofill completely off the night before so we can read the actual water level when we arrive.

Pre-Visit Checklist, The Night Before

Fill to mid-skimmer: Pool water level should be at the middle of the skimmer opening. Use a garden hose to top it off if it has dropped below that, fill the night before, not the morning of.
Turn off the autofill: Shut the autofill valve completely off. This lets us observe where the pool actually settles overnight, one of the most important diagnostic clues we use before the visit even starts.
Confirm the water is clear: We need to be able to see the floor, walls, lights, drain, and all fittings during the underwater inspection. If the water is green or heavily cloudy, treat it first and reschedule.
Clear the equipment pad: The equipment pad needs to be accessible, not blocked by furniture, storage, or overgrown vegetation. We run and stop the pump during testing and need clear access to all valves.
Do not backwash the day of the visit: Backwashing discharges pool water to waste and changes the water level. Do not backwash on the day of the visit.

What NOT to Do Before the Visit

Do not drain or partially drain the pool, draining removes the conditions we need to find the leak
Do not leave the autofill on, it masks the stabilization level
Do not add a large amount of water the morning of the visit, fill the night before so the level has time to stabilize
Do not add chemicals that cloud the water, wait until after the visit
Do not backwash on the morning of the visit

Want to understand what we do during the visit?

Download the free beginner guide to pool leak detection from Leak Business Academy.

Free Guide: Stop Guessing Pool Leaks →

Jeff David, Leak and Subsurface Locators

The two most common pre-visit mistakes are leaving the autofill on and arriving to a pool that is too low to run the equipment. Both are easy to avoid. Turn off the autofill the night before. If the pool is low, fill it with a hose, let it run overnight, not for 20 minutes the morning of the visit.

The water level I find when I arrive tells me something. If the autofill was on all night and the pool is sitting at skimmer midpoint, I have no information. If the autofill was off and the pool dropped to the bottom of the light, now I know where to look first.

Ready to Schedule? Pool Full and Clear Is All You Need.

Leak and Subsurface Locators serves South Florida for pool leak detection. Licensed CPC1457277. Free estimate before scheduling.

(954) 290-5177 (561) 325-2678 (561) 325-2678

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I cannot get the water clear in time?

Call us and we will reschedule. A visit on a green or heavily cloudy pool cannot produce reliable results, the underwater inspection is limited by visibility and dye testing is less accurate. It is better to reschedule than to pay for a visit that cannot be completed properly.

How long before the visit should I fill the pool?

The night before is ideal. This gives the water level time to settle after filling and gives us a useful overnight reading once the autofill is off. Filling the morning of the visit, especially right before we arrive, is not ideal because the water has not had time to stabilize.

What if I cannot find the autofill valve to turn it off?

The autofill is usually a small float box set into the deck near the skimmer, a float valve inside the skimmer basket, or an isolation valve on the autofill supply line at the equipment pad. If you cannot locate it, your pool service company can identify it before the visit. You can also shut off the water supply to the autofill at the house if the line runs through a dedicated valve.

Should I Fill the Pool Before You Come Out?