With Hurricane Season looming, it’s a good idea to be on guard and to take action to minimize any potential damage that Mother Nature’s wrath may cause. For instance, pools represent unprecedented dangers in intensely bad weather. Proper storm preparedness on Florida’s First Coast, especially when anticipating a major storm or hurricane, can limit damage during violent weather.
Besides your pool getting beat up, it can also become polluted by garbage like soil, mud, residue, and microscopic organisms. Below are some handy hurricane preparedness tips to help protect your pool from the worst of it during a storm.
Do Not Empty the Pool
When heavy rains raise the water table, there is a great risk that your pool may end popping out. This doesn’t usually happen if there is water in the pool. Water is quite heavy, and it will therefore serve as an anchor, holding the pool in place and preventing it from being pushed upwards. That is why you should never empty your pool when you are expecting a hurricane. An empty pool is relatively light, and it will be easily dislodged from its position by the water.
You should also ensure that the pool has adequate drainage. It should have working drains and skimmers. It is also essential to make it so that the area surrounding the pool also offers drainage. If the area surrounding the pool is not drained well, you might need to bring down the water levels by a foot or two.
Remove Loose Items
Loose items can be a serious hazard during a hurricane. Part of your pool hurricane preparedness routine should be to put away loose objects. For instance, if there are any chairs, toys, tables, and such, put them away. These can become projectiles during a storm. If you have an indoor storage space, it would be a good idea to move all loose items there.
Add Extra Chlorine to the Pool
During a hurricane, chances are there will be a lot of debris and water that will end up in your pool. These will greatly contaminate your pool; therefore, you have to take steps to ensure that there is minimal negative impact as a result. Adding chlorine is a good idea in such instances.
The first step would be to add a “shock” dose of chlorine to the pool. Following that, adjust the pH of the pool water to about 7.2, then run the filter for a couple of hours to mix everything. Another good idea would be to add some algaecide as well. It will help to counter organic pollution.
Have Realistic Expectations
Most pool companies, including SurfSide, can not get out to perform hurricane clean-up for every customer the day after a storm. It is important to practice patience after a storm as you will most likely have to wait for us to come to your house on your regularly scheduled service day post-storm.
In the past, we have had hundreds of clients and hopeful new clients call us and expect us out the same day to do hurricane clean-up. We, along with every major pool company in Jacksonville, just don’t have the capacity to service every pool in one day.
Remember – regardless of how prepared you think you are, you will most likely need to do a big pool cleanup after a major storm hits. Hopefully, these tips will help to minimize damage and pool contamination. If you need help to prepare or need post-storm cleanup we, at SurfSide Pools & Spas, are here to help.