Rain storms and torrential downpours can wreak havoc in your swimming pool. Following these steps can make pool recovery easier, more economical, safer, and better.
Water and Electricity. Put your safety first!
- Heavy rains mean that water accumulates in unexpected places, and you can find moisture in and around electrical equipment. Use caution when touching anything electrical around the pool - even low voltage equipment - when there has been very heavy rain and storms.
- If the power is out, or if a circuit-breaker has tripped, call an electrician first - even before you touch anything!
- Make sure your hands are DRY when you begin working! Our skin has a built-in protection (called a 'barrier voltage'), but moisture wipes that out. When wet, we are defenceless against electricity.
- If your pool filtration equipment is working, back-wash and rinse the filter, to release excess water.
- If you have a cartridge filter with a 3-way valve, open it to release excess water.
- If the pool water can't be released in this way, you have two options.
- First, you can wait for evaporation to clear the water, or,
- Second, you can hire a submersible pump.
- Now, add extra chlorine and algaecide to prevent your pool from turning green.
Do Not Drain Your Pool Completely
Draining the pool completely often seems like the obvious solution to a flooded pool and muddied water.
Don't Do It! The large amount of water that will have found its way under your pool after heavy rain, and is just sitting there, will almost a guarantee that your pool will lift out of the ground when it's emptied.
Muddy Pools
Muddy pools carry bacteria. They should be treated with a calculated large amount of chlorine. Don't guess how much you need.
The chlorine level should be around 20 ppm (parts per million) to effectively kill the bacteria in the water.
Floccing the Pool
Carry out the floccing process after bacteria have been eradicated. This process will settle all the debris to the bottom of the pool, where you can manage it.
This process normally takes between six and twenty four hours to drop the sediment to the bottom.
Vacuuming - To Waste, or To The Filter?
Your pool will have to be vacuumed after floccing. Depending on the amount of sediment or debris your pool has collected, you'll need to vacuum to the filter (not much sediment), or to waste (a lot of sediment).
Cloudy Pools
If you're lucky enough to have suffered only a cloudy pool, using chlorine, or algaecides and/or clarifers will usually clear it up nicely.
To obtain the correct dosage rates for your pool, and the most up-to-date technical information, please take a water sample and an image of your pool to your nearest pool professional.
For further information about helping your pool survive torrential downpours, seek advice from your pool professional, or contact Splash's Pools. We hope this information has been useful.
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