How To Take Care of Your Swimming Pool Before & After Major Storms

Preparation Before a Major Storm

• If at all possible, trim any loose branches that could become airborne and end up in the pool or fly into your house or other yard structures.
• Store away all loose objects. That includes patio furniture, pool toys, chaise lounges, BBQ grills, umbrellas, and anything else that isn’t nailed down. The wind could blow these items into the pool, and that should be avoided. Ideally, place them out of harm’s way inside a garage or shed, but if that isn’t feasible, stack them up against an exterior house or garage wall and secure them well with a tarp and rope.
• Turn off the power (gas, electricity, propane) to all your pool equipment. Turn the electricity off at the circuit breaker and the gas at its shut-off valve. If possible, cover the pool equipment with a plastic tarp.
• Do not cover the pool. Pool covers can become airborne and receive significant damage. Also, if a large tree limb were to land on your pool cover, it would cause it serious harm.
• Do not drain the pool. The weight of the water in the pool keeps it in place in the ground.
• Test your water chemistry before the storm and balance the chemicals. Add shock if desired. This will give you a head start when it comes to setting things right after the deluge.

Cleanup After the Big Storm

• Fish out any large pieces of debris from the pool. Use the skimmer to pick up leaves and smaller bits.
• Inspect and turn back on your pool equipment. If the equipment got wet in the storm, you will need to allow it to dry out.
• You are going to have to give your pool a good cleaning. Scrub the walls and get the pool vac going.
• The next step is to re-balance the water chemistry. Test the water again. You may need to have some or all of these chemicals on hand:
  • Sanitizer
  • Pool shock
  • Calcium increaser
  • Alkalinity products
  • Cyanuric acid
  • Algaecide