Heavy rain, storms and floods can cause serious problems for outdoor pool owners particularly when the water table rises. What can and should be done?
Water, water, everywhere…
It’s safe to assume that pool owners like water but some of the heavy rains and even flooding that we can now seem to expect from the British winter can cause serious problems.
At least these sorts of dramatic weather conditions are mostly confined to the winter months in the UK so in all probability your pool will have been winterised by the time the storms arrive.
You will have lowered the water level in your pool by 6 – 12”, put the winter pool cover on and perhaps added some long life algaecides and increased chlorine and alkaline levels.
If you are looking for more in-depth advice about how to properly winterise your pool, then follow this link.
So, you think you are all prepared for the winter – and then you see the forecast. The heavens are due to open and the storm is arriving.
Before the storm.
What do you do before the storm? (If you have an opportunity to, that is.)
There is a temptation for many people to drain out more water in order to ‘make room’ for the rain.
Do not do this.
Heavy rain and in particular, long periods of heavy rain will cause the water table to rise and your concrete or liner pool can begin to float on the rising water table and either crack or in some instances actually pop out of the ground.
The pool needs the weight of its own water to keep it stable in the ground.
Chlorine dissipates quickly on the ground so you needn’t worry about the pool overflowing into your garden.
If you have an automatic pool cover and high winds are forecast along with the rain, it might be an idea to open it particularly if there is any danger of tree branches or heavy debris being blown on to the cover and damaging it.
In the case of a particularly heavy storm being imminent it might even be a wise move to shut off all the power to the pool.
After the storm.
Whatever the temptation, don’t start pumping out your pool.
Water tables can rise much more quickly than they fall and you run the risk of significant structural damage if the pool begins to float on the ground water.
Test the water.
Heavy rain will dilute the chemicals. Surface water can carry nitrogen from the surrounding ground into the pool that will promote algae blooms.
Unbalanced water can damage the fittings and finish of your pool so get the water back in balance as soon as possible.
Remove all the debris that has been washed or blown into the pool.
Check to make sure that the pump and filter haven’t been flooded before you turn any power back on. If in doubt, call in your pool professional.
We hope the weather treats you and your pool kindly but if things don’t turn out that way, we hope this article will be useful for you.
If you would like help in contacting a pool professional in your area then please use the contact button at the top of this article.