Rain and Your Swimming Pool
When there’s a lot of rain in the forecast, your swimming pool needs some special attention. In this article, we look at rain and your swimming pool and discuss how rain affects your backyard paradise and what you can do about it.
Rain Causes Water Issues
Did you know that rainwater is acidic? Because of this, rain water affects your water chemistry in several ways. It might negatively affect your:
- pH balance
- alkalinity levels
- calcium hardness
- pool’s cleanliness by throwing debris into the pool (if so, do be sure and vacuum and brush the walls)
Rain water falling into your pool from the sky is bad enough. But, what happens when it’s run off from your chemically treated pool deck or roof? This can cause you even more problems with your pool’s water chemistry. In addition, you get extra leaves, dirt, and debris in your pool causing staining and other problems.
On the good side, a light rain usually isn’t a problem. It’s the heavy, long-last rains that really wreak havoc.
How to Deal with Heavy Rains
The most important thing you can do at all times is test your water chemistry. Test it on a weekly basis for great results. If you do this, you’ll be well ahead of problems when the rain pours down.
If you know a heavy rain is coming, you might also add some algaecide to preempt any algae issues.
Also, make sure to drain excess rain water from your pool so it’s at a proper level for skimming. Remember – don’t drain below skimmer, or you’ll have problems with your pump. It’s also helpful to drain the excess water if your pool is near the entrance to your home so you don’t get any pool overflow in your home or basement.
Here are two solutions, depending on your pool:
- If you have a cartridge filter, think about installing an outlet valve so you can pump your water to the most appropriate skimmer level.
- If you have a sand filter or D.E. filter with a multi-port valve, change it to waste mode. This gets rid of extra water and avoids running it through your filter.
Always test your water after a storm so you can bring your pool back to the correct water balance. Bring us a sample, and we can run it through our ALEX computerized water system for free and tell you just what you need. If you need help, our expert service technicians can come out to your home.
Final Thoughts
Rain doesn’t spell doom for your pool water, but you do want to make sure your water is balanced. If you do this and properly maintain your pool, you shouldn’t have any major problems. If you do, we are always here to help.
