Look, I’ll be honest with you. When I first got my pool installed back in 2019, I thought maintaining water level was gonna be the easiest part. Just fill it up and forget about it, right? Wrong. So wrong. After my pump started making weird noises and my pool guy charged me $200 just to tell me my water was too low, I learned this lesson the hard way.
So lemme break this down for you in simple terms, no fancy jargon or complicated stuff. Just real talk about keeping your pool water at the right height.
Why Should You Even Care About Water Level?
Okay so here’s the deal. Your pool has this thing called a skimmer, its that rectangular hole on the side where all the leaves and junk get sucked in. That skimmer needs water at a specific height to work properly. Not too high, not too low, just right.
When the water’s too low, your skimmer starts gulping air instead of water. And trust me, your pump HATES that. It’ll make this horrible grinding sound and you’ll think somethings broken. Sometimes it actually does break stuff inside the pump which gets expensive real quick.
If the waters too high tho, the skimmer door cant close right. All those leaves just float past it like they’re on vacation. You’ll see more bugs and debris sitting on top of the water even though your systems running 24/7.
I remember last summer my neighbor kept complaining about his pool being dirty. Turns out he overfilled it after a pool party and didn’t realize the skimmers weren’t working anymore. Simple fix but he spent two weeks manually scooping leaves before figuring it out.
What’s The Perfect Height Anyway?
Most pool people say you want water about halfway up your skimmer opening. Some say one-third, some say half, but honestly anywhere in that range works fine.
Here’s how I check mine: I go over to the skimmer and look at the opening. If I can see water right around the middle of it, maybe slightly higher, I’m good. That’s literally it. No measuring tape needed, no complicated calculations.
The skimmer opening is usually around 8 or 9 inches tall, so you want water sitting about 4 inches up from the bottom of it. Give or take an inch either way and you’re still fine.
My pool has two skimmers and I try to keep the level consistent across both. If one looks different than the other something weird is going on, maybe the pools not level or theres a problem with the ground underneath.
What Happens When Things Go Wrong
Let me tell you about some disasters I’ve seen (and caused myself).
Too Low Problems
Last year during that crazy heat wave we had, I went on vacation for a week. Didn’t think about the pool at all. Came back and the water had dropped like 5 inches below the skimmers. My pump was making this god-awful screeching noise.
Apparently when the pump sucks in air, it creates these air pockets inside that damage the impeller. That’s the spinny thing inside that moves the water around. My pool tech called it “cavitation” which sounds scary and it kinda is.
Also my robot cleaner just sat at the bottom doing nothing because it needs proper water flow to work. Waste of electricity running it when the waters too low.
Too High Problems
After I learned my lesson about low water, I overcorrected. Added way too much water one time and it went like 3 inches above the skimmer. The skimmer door just hung there open, completely useless.
No suction happening at all. Leaves were piling up on the surface and I couldn’t figure out why until my brother came over and pointed out the obvious. Felt pretty dumb not gonna lie.
Plus when it rained that week, water started pooling around my deck because the pool was already too full. Almost flooded my neighbors yard which would’ve been awkward.
Dealing With Different Seasons
This is where it gets interesting because your water level needs change throughout the year.
Summer Time
During summer you’re losing water constantly. Evaporation is real, especially when its hot and sunny. I lose about half an inch every couple days, sometimes more if its really hot.
And if you got kids doing cannonballs and splash fights? Forget about it. Water goes everywhere. I probably add water twice a week during peak summer.
I just check it every time I test the chlorine, which is usually Wednesday and Saturday for me. Takes like 30 seconds to look at the skimmer and see if it needs topping off.
Winter Stuff
If you close your pool for winter (which I do because it gets cold here), you gotta lower the water below the skimmers. Usually about 4 to 6 inches below the opening.
Why? Because water expands when it freezes and it’ll crack your skimmer plumbing if its full. That repair is NOT cheap, my cousin had to deal with that and it was over $800.
But don’t drain it too much either. The water weight keeps your pool from shifting in the ground. I made that mistake my first winter and one corner of my pool actually lifted up slightly. Had to refill it partially and wait for spring to fix it properly.
Kinda like choosing between different cars, you know how people debate Challenger vs Charger and both have pros and cons? Same thing with winter water levels, you gotta find the right balance for your situation.
How To Actually Add or Remove Water
This part’s pretty straightforward but there’s some tricks.
Adding Water
I just use my garden hose. Stick it in the pool, turn it on, and come back in 30-45 minutes to check it. I set a timer on my phone so I don’t forget and overflow the pool like I did that one time.
Pro tip: don’t blast it on full power. Medium flow is fine and you’re less likely to forget about it and cause problems.
One thing nobody told me at first – when you add a bunch of water, your chlorine and pH levels change. Fresh tap water dilutes everything. So after adding like 3-4 inches of water, I retest the chemicals and usually need to add more chlorine.
Removing Water
If it rains a lot and your pools too full, easiest way is using the backwash setting on your filter. This drains water while cleaning the filter so you’re killing two birds with one stone.
I also bought a cheap submersible pump from the hardware store for like $50. Works great for removing water quickly. Just make sure you’re draining it somewhere that makes sense, not into your garden where it’ll kill plants with chlorine or toward your house foundation.
Keeping Track of Your Water Level
Honestly the best advice I can give is just check it regularly. Make it part of your routine.
I check mine every time I’m out there testing chemicals or cleaning the skimmer baskets. Its automatic now, I don’t even think about it.
Some people use a marker or piece of tape inside the skimmer as a reference point. I tried that but the tape kept falling off. Now I just eyeball it and after a while you get a feel for whats right.
During really hot weeks or after big pool parties, I check more often. Common sense stuff really.
Pool Covers Make a Huge Difference
This was a game changer for me. Got a solar cover last year and my water loss dropped like crazy. Before I was adding water every 2-3 days in summer. Now its more like once a week.
The cover stops evaporation which is where most water loss comes from. Plus it keeps the water warmer and reduces how much chlorine you need.
Only annoying part is dealing with rainwater on top of the cover. You gotta pump that off before removing the cover or it all dumps into your pool. I use a little cover pump that sits on top and automatically removes rain water.
Automatic Systems If You Want To Get Fancy
My neighbor has this auto-fill system installed. Its basically a float valve like in a toilet tank that adds water automatically when the level drops.
Sounds cool but honestly I prefer checking it myself. I’ve heard stories of those valves getting stuck open and people coming home to overflowing pools and huge water bills.
If you travel a lot tho, might be worth it. Just gotta check on it occasionally to make sure its working right.
How Water Level Affects Your Chemicals
This is something I didn’t realize at first. When you add fresh water, you’re watering down all your chemicals.
Adding an inch or two doesn’t matter much. But if you add 4-5 inches after a vacation or heat wave, your chlorine level drops noticeably. I learned to always test chemicals after adding significant water.
The opposite is also true. As water evaporates, it leaves behind all the minerals and dissolved stuff. Your water gets more concentrated over time. That’s why you gotta test regularly even when you’re just replacing evaporation.
Figuring Out If You Have a Leak
If you’re constantly adding water way more than normal, you might have a leak somewhere.
There’s this simple bucket test you can do. Fill a bucket with pool water and put it on your pool steps so its partially in the water. Mark the water level inside the bucket and outside on the pool wall.
Wait 24 hours and compare. If your pool lost way more water than the bucket, you probably got a leak. Time to call a pool leak detection company.
I thought I had a leak once but turns out I just wasn’t accounting for how much water kids splash out during pool games. Felt silly calling the leak guy for nothing but better safe than sorry.
Random Tips That Helped Me
Keep a pool log. I use my phone notes app and just jot down when I add water, how much, and what the chemicals looked like. Helps you spot patterns.
If one area of your pool looks lower than another, either your eyes are playing tricks or your pools not level structurally. Mine had that optical illusion thing from how the tiles were installed.
Don’t stress too much about being exactly perfect. As long as you’re in the general range of halfway up the skimmer, you’re fine. I was obsessing over every quarter inch at first but realized pools are forgiving.
Watch out after heavy rain. Your pool can overflow faster than you think if it was already high to begin with.
Wrapping This Up
So yeah, keeping your pool water at the right level isn’t rocket science but it matters more than you’d think. Keep it around halfway up the skimmer opening, check it a couple times a week, and adjust when needed.
Pay attention during hot weather, use a cover if possible, and don’t forget to recheck your chemicals after adding lots of water.
Its honestly one of the easier parts of pool maintenance once you get in the habit. Way easier than dealing with algae or balancing pH, trust me on that.
Now I just glance at my skimmers whenever I’m near the pool and adjust if needed. Takes basically no time and keeps everything running smooth. No more expensive pump repairs for me.
Your pool will last longer, run better, and give you less headaches if you stay on top of this one simple thing. Plus you’ll actually enjoy swimming instead of constantly fixing problems.
So go check your water level right now if you haven’t recently. Seriously, go do it. I’ll wait.
