Hurricane season wreaks havoc on homes, businesses and swimming pools as well as taking a human toll. If you live in a hurricane-prone area or have friends and family who do, share these 6 ways to hurricane-proof your pool so they can protect this major investment.
Tipton Pools and its contractors in Knoxville, Tennessee know that being as proactive as possible in any weather event — hurricane or even a monsoon or a punishing rain or windstorm can help your pool and its equipment survive.
Take care of yourself and your family first, but if there is time. take some of these tips to heart.
6 Ways To Hurricane-Proof Your Pool
- Turn off the electricity to the pool as soon as you know a storm is starting. A brownout or a power surge could destroy the equipment.
- Resist the urge to drain the pool even if a lot of water is predicted and even if your pool will overflow. A pool what is underfilled is worse than one with too much water. If you drain the pool, a fiberglass shell could float, a vinyl liner pool could wrinkle and an above ground pool could buckle.
- Remove or wrap the pool equipment in plastic to protect it from debris. If there is flooding, the equipment may not survive and if you have time or the skills, you may want to remove it.
- Secure all loose pool items — chairs, toys, tables, umbrellas, etc. Resist the urge to throw pool furniture into the pool (as we have seen people do) it could bang against the sides of the pool and damage it. Tie it down or store it away.
- Add algaecide to the pool to prevent algae growth following any bacteria that is deposited from the storm winds.
- Cover the pool. Ensure it is tightly secure so it doesn’t flap around or whip around in the wind. This may be a gut feeling as to whether you cover it or not. If it is covered and there is a lot of rain, that could also be heavy enough to damage the moorings of the cover.
Once the storm has passed, don’t turn on the electricity until you have had the equipment inspected. Pick up large debris. Don’t run the vacuum if you can’t see the bottom of the pool. Call us for an after-storm cleaning, but be prepared for a wait if the storm is widespread. We will get to you as soon as we can.