HELP! MY POOL HAS BEEN FLOODED!

So far 2015 is looking pretty good for Central Texas. It has been blessed with overwhelming amounts of rainfall, which has not only helped to fill our area lakes, but it has also lifted the drought status that has affected this region for nearly 7 years. However, with all the rainfall comes scenarios we may not be prepared for. One of which is the excess rainwater finding it’s way into our pools. Don’t fret – Easy pools can help!
 

For the do it yourselfer’s, you can follow these 8 steps to start –

  1. Carefully remove all solid debris from the pool.
  2. For in-ground pools, examine pool edges and the ground around the pool for damage.  For aboveground pools, inspect the pool structure.  Seek help from a professional pool builder or repair service to correct any structural problems.
  3. Ensure the pump motor is adequately dry before resuming operation.  Drain down any excess water from the pool.
  4. Use a flooding agent such as BioGuard’s PowerFloc® and vacuum the waste.  Flocculants are chemical compounds that when added to water cause suspended agents to sink.  Once settled on the bottom of the pool, the previously suspended articles can be vacuumed.
  5. Circulate the pool for 24 hours, and then test the pH, total alkalinity and calcium hardness.  For chlorinated pools, apply a double dosage of a chlorinating shock product such as BioGuard’s Burn Out3® or Smart Shock®.  If using a non-chlorine, biguanide system such as BioGuard’s SoftSwim®, add both sanitizer and a double dosage of the shock product.  Circulate pool again for 24 hours.
  6. Monitor the chlorine level for the next 24 hours to ensure you can maintain a 1 – 3ppm level.  Add chlorinating shock as needed to maintain levels.  For biguanide pools, monitor sanitizer level (holding 40ppm) and shock levels (maintaining 40ppm – 60ppm) for 24 hours.  Add products as needed to maintain proper levels.
  7. Clean the filter using a cleaner such as Kleen It® or Strip Kwik®.
  8. After water is balanced and sanitizer levels are stable, you can resume use of the pool.

 
What really happens to my pool when severe weather conditions:
For starters, it is important to understand that a pool is a closed water system, which over time becomes more and more saturated and contaminated with elements from nature, chemistry, and bathers. Therefore the longer the water has been in the pool, the worse condition it is in, and the harder it is to balance and make safe.
 

In substantial rain or severe weather, a pool can reach that same level of contamination in just a few hours, rather than many years. This is particularly true if the rain causes a mudslide, or washes a significant amount of debris into the pool.
 

A scenario like this:

  • Can build an ideal breeding ground for bacteria that could be harmful or dangerous.
  • The extra material being washed into the pool can cause filters to clog up and pumps to slow down and work harder. Or worse, they may cause systems to shut off completely because of excessive strain, or power outage.

 
How to get it back in control?

If you have a well-balanced/maintained pool, the resolution is:
You simply need to increase the run times on your pool pump, check and balance the chemicals more frequently (more than once per week), and take steps to remove the phosphates. Under most circumstances, this is enough to keep your pool safe and problem-free. Even if the pool does develop a slight algae problem, it can usually be addressed and rebalanced in as little as 1 to 3 days.
 
If you DON’T have a well-balanced/maintained pool:

  • The time and expense to rebalance and sanitize your pool will be exponentially greater. So there are things you should look for:
  • PROPER TURNOVER RATE: A pool operating at the minimum level has an insufficient run time on the filter pump and does not achieve the required 3 turnovers per day.
  • BALANCING CHEMICALS: Not checking and balancing the chemicals weekly will cause long term problems that are expounded when the weather turns severe.
  • FILTER MAINTENANCE: If your filter is not maintained on a regular schedule, that too will cause greater issues in severe weather.

 
Bottom line – If you maintain your pool a minimum of 20 minutes per week, and make sure you have a fine balance between circulation, filtration, and the testing and balancing of chemicals, you’ve got the best shot at saving your pool, saving yourself time, and saving money to get it back on track.
 

In Emergencies – sometimes you just don’t know what to do.
(1) Turn off the equipment to prevent motor or filter problems, and
 
(2) Call Easy Pools!
Be sure to protect yourself and your loved ones – DO NOT GO SWIMMING IN A POOL THAT HAS NOT BEEN TREATED AND PROPERLY SANITIZED AFTER A BIG STORM. This is ESPECIALLY true if you cannot see the bottom! .
 
For more information, call Easy Pools at 512-266-6592
 
Online scheduling for maintenance and repairs is also available at www.EasyPools.com.