While California doesn’t have an off-season for swimming pools, the area does have a serious rainy season. As you might expect, this means a lot of rain and a lot of wind. When that happens, it’s important to secure your pool so you’ll have less to worry about when the storms are over. There are many things that people will tell you to do, but we’re going to focus on just a few of the most important ones.
Lower the Water Level
In most cases it won’t be necessary to lower the water level of your pool. However there are sometimes issues with the surrounding yard having improper drainage. Other times the pool overflow may be clogged, or the pool may have been built without an overflow at all. In preparation for the rainy season, it might be smart to stop adding water to your pool. If your pool is equipped with an auto fill mechanism this can be disabled. It is always important to know the appropriate water level for your pool, and never let it fall below a safe level, even during the rainy season.
You may be tempted to simply drain your pool for the rainy season, but this is not a good idea, as this can lead to problems such as cracking. In some cases underground water can even cause the pool or spa shell to lift out of the ground. Major cracks can cause pieces to start breaking off from the structure. Repairing such easily preventable damages can cost you a pretty penny come summertime.
Use Wattles
You can also use wattles to protect your pool. These are long rolls made of burlap that are usually employed to help stop erosion, and help prevent mudslides. However, they also do a pretty decent job of keeping things like dirt, sticks, rocks, leaves, and general debris out of your swimming pool. This means you’ll have a lot less work to do when prepping your pool and spa for use after the rainy season is over. If you strategically place them around the edges of the pool, they should keep most of the unwanted debris out.
Care for Equipment
Another important thing you should do to help keep your pool in good condition through all the rain and winds is to take care of your equipment. Essential pieces of equipment to keep your pool clean during the rainy season are the filter pump, the pool filter, skimmer baskets and pool sweeps. During the rainy season pool filters can get dirty much more quickly and may need cleaning more frequently. The filter pump and skimmer baskets can get clogged much more quickly as well and will need to be checked regularly. Finally, pool sweeps can get stuck on larger debris that will get blown into the pool by the winds. Even if your pool sweep is clogged for one day it can make a big difference of how dirty your pool gets during the rainy season.
Another important practice to maintaining your pool equipment is keeping the area around it clean. This includes providing adequate drainage to prevent flooding. It is also important to keep the area around the pool equipment clear of leaves and debris, as this creates a potential fire hazard.
These are just a few of the things you can do to keep your pool and spa in tip-top shape through California’s rainy season. Not only will these precautions help protect your pool, but they’ll keep you from dealing with the aftermath. If you still feel as though your pool isn’t adequately protected and want some extra insurance, discuss your needs with our professionals.