How to Prepare Your Pool for a Hurricane in Hampton Roads
Hurricane season in Virginia Beach runs June through November, but for us it gets real from mid-August through October. If you own a pool in Hampton Roads, a little preparation before a storm can save you thousands in repairs and a week of green water afterward. Here is exactly what to do before and after a hurricane hits, from a local pool service company that cleans up the aftermath every season.
Before the Storm
1. Do not drain your pool
This is the biggest mistake we see. It feels logical: a storm is coming, so lower the water. Do not do it. A full pool is a heavy pool, and that weight holds your shell in the ground. When heavy rain saturates the soil around an empty or partially drained pool, hydrostatic pressure can literally lift the pool out of the ground. This is called a "popped pool" and it is often a total loss.
If you are worried about overflow, you can lower the water 6 to 12 inches at most, and only if your pool does not have an overflow drain. In most cases, leave it full. Pools are designed to overflow. Your yard can handle it.
2. Remove everything that can become a projectile
Skimmer lids, ladders, handrails (if removable), solar covers, floats, toys, patio furniture, umbrellas, and automatic cleaner hoses. In hurricane winds, a pool ladder is a missile aimed at your sliding glass door. Store everything in the garage or shed.
Do not throw furniture in the pool to "protect" it. Metal furniture stains plaster and vinyl, and you will spend the week after the storm fishing it out and treating stains.
3. Do not cover the pool
Leave your pool uncovered during the storm. Flying debris will shred a cover, and a damaged cover costs far more than the cleanup you were trying to avoid. Leaves and branches can be removed. A torn safety cover cannot.
4. Shock the pool before the storm arrives
Storm water carries debris, contaminants, and runoff into your pool. A strong chlorine shock the day before landfall gives your water a fighting chance against the organic load coming its way. Balance your water, shock it heavily, and run the pump as long as you can before the power situation gets uncertain.
5. Turn off power to pool equipment
Before the storm hits, shut off the breakers to your pump, heater, salt system, and any pool lighting. If your equipment pad is in a low spot or flooding is likely, wrap the pump motor and any exposed electronics in plastic and secure it tightly. If a storm surge or serious flooding is forecast for your area, some homeowners disconnect and store the pump motor entirely. For most Virginia Beach neighborhoods, breakers off and a good wrap is enough.
After the Storm
1. Do not turn equipment back on right away
If your equipment pad flooded or took on water, do not energize anything until it has been inspected. Water in a pump motor or salt cell that gets powered up can destroy the equipment and create a shock hazard. When in doubt, have it looked at first.
2. Clear debris before it sinks and stains
Leaves, pine straw, and organic debris sitting on your pool floor will stain plaster and vinyl within days. Skim and net everything you can as soon as it is safe to be outside. The faster the debris comes out, the easier the recovery.
3. Check your water chemistry and expect it to be wrecked
Heavy rain dilutes your chlorine, drops your pH, and dumps phosphates and contaminants into the water. Test as soon as possible. Most pools need a heavy shock, a pH and alkalinity correction, and extended filter run time after a major storm. If your pool has already turned green, the sooner treatment starts, the cheaper it is to fix.
4. Backwash or clean your filter
Your filter is about to do a lot of work. Start it clean. DE and sand filters should be backwashed, and cartridge filters should be pulled and rinsed before the heavy filtering begins.
When to Call a Professional
If your pool came through the storm green, black, or full of debris you cannot remove yourself, that is what we do. Fat Cat Pool Services handles post-storm cleanups and green-to-clean recoveries across Virginia Beach and Chesapeake every season. The most expensive green pool is the one that sits untreated for two weeks.
If you want your pool storm-prepped before the next system develops off the coast, or cleaned up after one passes through, [contact us here] or call for a quote. We serve Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and the greater Hampton Roads area.
Fat Cat Pool Services is a locally owned pool service company based in Virginia Beach, VA, offering weekly pool service, openings and closings, green-to-clean recoveries, and one-time cleanups throughout Hampton Roads.
