Last week Hurricane Hernine blew through the Southeast U.S. It was the first time in 11 years a hurricane has made landfall in Florida. So, we thought it would be good to go over some tips on how to prepare your pool for the next hurricane.
1) Bring Pool Equipment, Furniture & Toys Inside. Anything that is not bolted down can become a dangerous projectile during a hurricane. Poles, brushes, pool vacuums, chemicals, chairs, tables, toys, basketball hoops, free-standing grills, etc should be brought inside. Even a sturdy outdoor cabinet can get blown over in 75+ mile per hour winds, so bring that in too.
2) Secure "permanent" equipment. For equipment that is bolted down - pump, filter, ladder, diving board, slide, heating unit - make sure all the bolts are tight and everything is secure.
3) Turn off power. Turn off all electrical equipment at the circuit breaker.
4) Clean the drain. Most in-ground pools have a drain built into the deck between the pool and the house, which allows water to flow out to the sides of the house. Hurricanes can drop a lot of rain very quickly on your pool and deck. If your drain has leaves and dirt in it, water won't be able to drain quickly and you could end up flooding your deck area possibly even leaking into your house.
5) Clean gutters & downspouts. As long as you're cleaning out the drain in the deck you might as well clean the gutters along the edge of your roof and the downspouts. If they're clogged with leaves and dirt, the water will overflow and pour onto your pool deck. If you get more water than your drains can handle, your will flood and water may leak into your house.
6) Trim trees. By pruning the trees around your pool, you can reduce the chances of a branches breaking off and being blown through the screen.
7) Add chlorine. Rain from the hurricane will dilute the chlorine in your pool. And you could end up with lots of leaves and other debris in your pool. If you use liquid chlorine, pour an extra jug in. If you have a salt chlorine system, increase the chlorine level.
8) Don't empty the pool. Heavy rain saturates the ground around an in-ground swimming pool. If you empty the water out of your pool, there's a good chance the ground water will pop the pool right out of the ground.
By taking these steps, you can minimize the chances of damage to your swimming pool and home during a hurricane.
If you have any questions about your pool, or if you're interested in remodeling your pool or building a new pool in the Tampa, Florida area, contact us Grand Vista Pools.
