PREPARING YOUR POOL FOR THE HURRICANE.  

First…. DO NOT drain your fiberglass pool! Just don’t!

Your pool will overflow, that’s pretty much a given. It’s ok! The most important thing is the pool must be weighted with water to prevent it from lifting out of the ground due to the pressure from excess ground water.

Remove any items in and around the pool that will blow away or become airborne. Loose items, such as furniture and planters, could fly into the pool and cause damage. Put the items in a safe place that also won’t blow away…such as your house. If you can’t remove them or bring them inside, tie them down…securely!

Shock your pool. Give it a healthy dose of chlorine or algaecide to stay ahead of any contamination. Also, lower the pH to around 7.2 and continue to run your filtration system for as long as you can.

Next, turn off the main electrical panel to your pool pumps, filters and heaters. You don’t want your pumps and filters sucking up anything that happens to get into your pool during the storm. Also, by cutting the main power, you will save blowing out your circuit boards from power surges.

Don’t put the cover on your pool. Pool covers aren’t cheap so don’t risk it! You’re going to have to clean out the pool after the storm, you don’t want to also have to replace the cover.

If you have time, look around the pool/backyard area and trim branches and shrubs that are overhanging or look weak. An ounce of prevention….

CLEANING UP IN THE AFTERMATH. 

Once again, DO NOT drain your pool.

Chances are the ground is still super-saturated, so your pool is still at risk of lifting out of the ground. You can salvage the water that’s in it…. trust us, you can do this and it’s the best option.

Before you turn anything on… take the large debris out of your pool. Be careful with bigger items, like tree limbs, furniture or lumber, as they could scratch your pool finish. Use your pool skimmer for the smaller items like leaves and other ‘stuff’.

Check for damage. If you find damage to the shell, call your local pool professional and your insurance agent.

When you’ve removed as much debris as possible and your pool is relatively clean, check out the electrical equipment and connections before flipping the breakers back on. At this stage, if there is any doubt, call the professionals!

If power hasn’t been restored in your area, continue to skim, brush and clean your pool daily until the power is back on.

Once the pool pumps and filters are running, brush and vacuum the pool walls and floor to remove any algae or other dirt that has accumulated. Clean your filters thoroughly or install new ones.

Check your water chemistry and add chemicals to balance it.