Pool care after heavy rain or a storm

First hour after the storm

Safety first. Do not enter the pool area with downed power lines, lightning still in the area, or unstable trees overhead. Wait for clear conditions.

Then, in this order:

1. Cut power at the pump breaker if there is debris in the equipment area or visible damage.
2. Remove large debris (branches, furniture, lawn signs) from the pool with a pool hook or skimmer.
3. Check the water level. If it is over the top of the skimmer mouth, drain down to mid-skimmer.
4. Inspect equipment for visible damage before powering anything back on.

Day 1: rebalance

Run the pump for 30 minutes to mix the water. Then test:

• Free chlorine (rain washes it down toward zero)
• pH (rain is slightly acidic, often drops pH)
• Alkalinity (also pulled down)
• Salt (if salt pool, rain dilutes salinity)

Bring alkalinity back to 80 to 120 first, then pH to 7.4, then chlorine to 3 ppm. If chlorine was at zero, shock to 10 ppm.

Skim and brush

Skim the surface and empty all baskets. Pollen, leaves, and dirt come in by the bucket in a real storm. Then brush walls and floor to suspend the dust so the filter can grab it.

Run the pump 24 hours

Filter for at least 24 hours after a storm. Twice that for a hurricane or named storm. Check filter pressure halfway through and clean if it is climbing.

Cloudy after the rain

Cloudiness from rain is usually fine particulate (pollen, dust, organic). The fix:

1. Make sure free chlorine is at 3 ppm
2. Add a clarifier per label
3. Run the pump 24 hours
4. Clean the filter when pressure climbs

If still cloudy, you may have a chemistry imbalance from runoff. Test all five values.

Hurricane or named storm

For a major storm, plan ahead:

• Trim back trees a week before
• Bring in patio furniture, toys, anything that can fly
• Do NOT drain the pool or remove the cover (a full pool weighs the structure down and resists pop-out from saturated soil)
• Add an extra 2 ppm chlorine before landfall
• Power off the pump at the breaker if outage is likely

After: assume you are recovering for 3 to 7 days, not 1.

When to call a pro

Call when equipment is visibly damaged, when the pump trips the breaker after the storm, when the pool deck has shifted, or when you cannot get the water clear after 72 hours. Insurance often covers storm damage if documented quickly.