Hurricane Preparedness for Your Pool
When a storm is approaching, you don’t want to be caught unprepared. It’s important to make sure that your entire outdoor area is secured, which includes your pool, deck area, yard, and any potted plants you may have.
Here is a handy checklist that can help you ensure minimal damage to your pool and home, giving you one less thing to worry about during this hurricane season.
Test Your Deck’s Drainage
Hurricanes will dump a great amount of water onto your deck and into the compound of your home. The first thing to do is to ensure that water is able to drain freely and quickly from your deck.
Test this by spraying water onto your deck with a garden hose, and observe how long it takes for the water to drain away. Then, see where you could help to improve the flow of water by making some tweaks.
Here are a few tips:
- If your deck has been painted over, you can use a screwdriver to poke through the slats which allow water to drain through.
- Flush out any dirt with a garden hose. As the water runs off, make sure it can flow unobstructed down into the lower end of your yard, away from your house and pool deck.
- Get rid of grass, dirt or mulch that may block your drains. Similarly, clear the loose debris away from the deck’s edge if you don’t have a deck drain.
- Keeping all areas clear will help water to drain away much quicker.
Trim Trees
Prevent tree branches and limbs from coming loose and becoming airborne in strong winds by trimming any long, unsupported branches.
These could potentially damage pool equipment, your house, or a screen enclosure.
Store Outdoor Furniture, Grills, and Toys
This one is par for the course in our area: bring light toys, furniture, tools, and potted plants inside.
If you have an item that’s too big to move, make sure it’s anchored down properly with cords or ropes, as it could also become airborne and cause damage.
Be sure to close up any umbrellas and store them away too. Move your gas or charcoal grills inside if possible. Store gas or propane tanks in protected areas.
Keep Pool Full of Water
Contrary to a common misconception, you should not be draining your swimming pool. This is because your pool was installed with overflows that will allow excess water to drain away on its own.
While you can slightly reduce the water level, make sure it’s no more than two feet, as a strong hydrostatic pressure might cause portions of the pool to come up out of the ground.
The weight of the water serves to keep the pool’s structure in place. Keeping water in the pool also protects it, and is a kind of buffer that prevents debris from damaging the pool finishing.
Turn off Power During Storm
Electricity should be turned off before the storm hits. Specifically, the pool pump and motor could be damaged if they aren’t turned off.
Make sure that the circuit breakers to the pool motor, pump, lighting, and chlorinators are switched off, and, if possible, move the motor somewhere safe and dry, away from any potential flooding.
You can also consider wrapping the motor with plastic and a strong cord or rope.
No Glass or Metal in Pool
Do not place any glass or metal items into your pool, ever!
When glass shatters, the tiny slivers will be dispersed and it would be practically impossible to retrieve every glass shard or fragment. Metal could scratch the lining of your pool, as well as leave unsightly rust stains.
Remove Pool Parts
If time permits, don’t forget to retrieve any loose parts from the pool, including the deck lid or filter, as well as filter house tops.
Being prepared ahead of time will keep you, your loved ones and your home safe. Take these steps before the storm hits so you won’t have to scramble and cause yourself undue anxiety!
If you have any questions about how to prepare your pool for this hurricane season, Pleasure Pools is happy to provide you with answers. Contact us today for a consultation or simply to handle any pool related concerns.
