Cleaning your pool after a storm is easier when you have prepared your pool for an approaching storm. Maintaining a clean backyard and shocking the pool before the storm arrives helps preserve the water chemistry and keeps the pool sanitized. A storm can really mess up your pool and backyard but if you follow our simple step-by-step recommendations below you can clean up your pool and backyard quickly and easily.
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Preparing Your Pool for a Storm
When it comes to preparing for a hurricane or severe storm most home owners forget about their swimming pools. Storms may leave behind fresh air and blue skies but your swimming pool will be full of dirt, debris and other contaminants. The pool water will be overflowing and your pool chemistry way out of balance raising the risk of a green algal bloom taking over the pool.
Before severe weather hits your area follow our simple step-by-step recommendations to prepare your pool and backyard to minimize the potential for storm damage.
Read our article on How to Prepare Your Pool for a Storm
Swimming Pool Cleaning Equipment
Telescoping Pool Cleaning Pole
The telescoping cleaning pole comes with a universal connector that will attach to many cleaning heads.
Use the telescoping pole to:
- skim the surface with a net attachment
- brush the sides with a brush attachment
- vacuum the bottom with a vacuum head attachment
- grab floating or sunken objects with a hook attachment
Pool Vacuum Cleaner Head
Pool vacuum heads come with a universal connector that will attach to any pool cleaning pole. The vacuum head must be weighted so that it sits on the bottom and will not float away while cleaning.
Attach the vacuum hose to the top of the vacuum head. This removes dirt and debris from the bottom of the pool. Attach the other end of the hose to the skimmer box inlet pipe. The filtration system sucks water from the skimmer inlet pipe into the filter.
Pool Vacuum Hose
You must use a proper pool vacuum hose that is designed to connect to other pool accessories.
Pool vacuum hoses are manufactured in two sizes. One continuous length which is usually 30feet (10m) or a box of 10 x 3foot (1m) sections that are connected together. If you have a large pool you can connect more hose components together.
Pool vacuum hoses are constructed out of strong material that will tolerate UV light, pool chemicals and the vacuum pressure from the pump motor. The hose also has to tolerate the vibration from automatic suction cleaners (commonly called “kreepy krawlers”).
Vacuum Plate for Skimmer Box
A vacuum skimmer plate allows you to connect your vacuum hose to the skimmer box for cleaning. The vacuum plate fits into the skimmer box creating a seal over the skimmer basket. The vacuum hose is attached to the top of the vacuum plate. When you vacuum the pool the water is passed through the skimmer box and basket trapping larger debris in the skimmer basket. This prevents large items of debris entering the pump and filter.
How to Clean a Pool after a Storm
How you clean your pool after a storm depends on how you prepared the pool for a storm and the severity of the storm. Expect to find the water full of dirt, debris and lots of organic matter. But don’t worry we’ll soon fix that.
Do Not Drain the Water from a Inground Pool
Yes I know the pool water is filthy and full of debris but don’t drain the water from an inground pool. There is a danger the pool will pop up out of the ground. After a storm the ground is very moist and the water table has risen. When a pool is emptied there is no weight to hold the shell in position. An inground pool can be lifted upwards by the rising ground water pressure underneath. This is common in fibreglass shell pools when they do not have a hydrostatic valve fitted.
The pool may only rise a centimeter or two but that’s enough to damage all the plumbing pipes between the pool and filter. All the coping and landscaping around the pool would be moved or cracked.
All inground concrete swimming pools are fitted with a hydrostatic valve that allows any build-up of ground water pressure to escape from under the pool. The hydrostatic valve is built into the lowest point of the pool at the deep end and looks like a drain fitting with a cover. Ground water under the pool can flow through the valve into the pool to equalize the pressure preventing damage to the pool shell.
So if you have an inground concrete swimming pool fitted with a hydrostatic valve and you empty your pool after a storm the ground water underneath may flow into the pool. You may have got rid of the dirty storm water only to have it replaced by dirty ground water.
Note: You can drain the water from an above ground pool and refill.
Skim the Pool with a Net
Cleaning your pool after a storm with a net to remove larger debris is the first step. Skim the surface and try to remove leaves and other larger items from the water.
Empty the Skimmer Basket
Empty the skimmer basket daily into a rubbish bin (not the garden) so it cannot blow back in the pool. While you are restoring the pool back to a clean, healthy state the skimmer basket will require emptying every day.
Restore Power to the Filtration System
Remove any covering you placed over the filter to protect it from the storm.
Turn on the power supply to the filtration system.
Only turn on the power supply when the equipment and area around the equipment is dry.
Vacuum the Pool to Waste
There is no point vacuuming a filthy pool through the filter as it will clog easily and require frequent cleaning. This will also reduce the life expectancy of the filter cartridge or sand filter. After a storm there will most likely be too much water in the pool and you need to remove some water.
Cleaning your pool after a storm is best done by manually vacuum the pool yourself. Do not use an automatic suction cleaner as it will take too long and pump too much water to waste.
You can use a robotic cleaner or pressure cleaner when it has its own waste container or bag. These types of cleaners do not use the pump pressure or filter.
Set the Outlet Valve to Waste
- Turn the outlet valve at the pump to waste or drain so the vacuumed water does not pass through the filter. Remember to turn it back to filter when finished cleaning the pool.
Setup the Cleaning Equipment
- Connect the pool vacuum head to the telescoping pole
- Attach the vacuum hose to the pool vacuum head
- Lower the pole and vacuum head to the bottom of the pool
- Place the vacuum plate into the skimmer box over the skimmer basket.
- Remove the air trapped in the vacuum hose. Push the hose under the water to expel all the air from the hose. Some people prefer to push the hose up to the outlet jet and let the water flow push out the air.
- Ensure the hose is completely full of water with no air pockets.
- Connect the hose to the vacuum plate in the skimmer box
Vacuum the Pool
- Turn on the pump motor
- Vacuum the pool by slowly moving the vacuum head over the bottom of the pool. Don’t move the vacuum head too fast. It will stir up the dirt on the bottom and you won’t be able to vacuum it. I recommend starting in the deep end and work your way into the shallow end. Finally vacuum the steps and work your way out of the pool.
- When finished vacuuming turn off the pump motor
- Remove the vacuum head, hose and skimmer vacuum plate. I recommend hosing the equipment with fresh water to remove the pool chemicals. This will make the equipment last longer.
- Set you pump filter back to automatic.
Top Up the Water Level
- Vacuuming to waste or drain will lower the water level in the pool. Place your garden hose in the pool and refill to the midway level of the skimmer box.
- After refilling the water run the pump to mix up and circulate the water. Saltwater is heavier than freshwater. When you add fresh water to a saltwater pool the freshwater sits on top of the saltwater and doesn’t mix. You need to run the pump to mix up the water.
Test the Pool Water
Check the pool water chemistry with a test strip. This is a really simple procedure and only takes one minute to complete.
- Take a test strip and dip it into the pool water for 5 seconds.
- Remove the strip and wait 10-20 seconds.
- Compare the colors on the strip to the label on the container.
Balance the Water Chemistry
Depending on the result of your pool test strip, determine what needs to be done to balance the water chemistry.
The following are the basic chemical indicators and desired levels for a backyard freshwater or saltwater pool. If your pool water is maintained within these parameters your pool will always be clear and safe for swimming.
pH Level 7.2 – 7.6
Free Chlorine 1.0 – 3.0 ppm
Cyanuric Acid (Pool Stabilizer) 30 – 80 ppm
Salinity 2700 – 4500 ppm
Total Alkalinity 80 – 120 ppm
Calcium Hardness 200 – 400 ppm
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) 3000 – 6000 ppm
Read our article on How to Balance Swimming Pool Water
Shock the Pool
If you didn’t shock your pool before the storm, shock the pool to ensure all bacteria and other contaminants are eliminated. I recommend sodium hypochlorite shock as it doesn’t contain calcium which can lead to calcium scale accumulation in the pool. Sodium hypochlorite comes in liquid form and is the same as the granular form of pool shock. Most people prefer the granular form because it is safer to handle than a liquid but it doesn’t matter which one you use.
Wear gloves and protective clothing when handling chemicals. Always carefully read the instructions on the packaging.
The optimal time of day to shock a pool is after your family and friends have finished using the pool for the day. Shock the pool in the evening when UV light and heat will not affect the chlorine shock .
Read our article on How to Shock Your Swimming Pool
Operate the Filtration System
Run the pool pump overnight to circulate the water mixing the shock into the pool. The next morning your pool is ready for action.
Note: Sometimes it can take several days of chemical treatment and filtering to return your pool to normal. You will need to clean the filter each day for a few days until the pool water is clear.
Conclusion
The secret to easily cleaning up after a storm is to prepare your pool before the storm. Shocking the pool water before a storm really helps preserve the water chemistry and keeps the pool sanitized. A storm can really mess up your pool and backyard but if you follow our simple step-by-step recommendations above you can clean up your pool and backyard quickly and easily.
Check out our other posts on this site to help you better manage your pool maintenance and reduce the time and effort to operate your pool. After all, you want to spend more time in your pool rather than maintaining it.