Throughout hurricane season, Central Florida frequently experiences heavy rains, strong winds, and potential flooding. It’s crucial to understand how storms can affect your pool or spa, impacting water chemistry through rainwater and debris. Properly caring for your pool before and after severe weather helps maintain its condition and safety. Here’s a helpful guide to getting your pool back to pristine condition following any significant storm. Post-Storm Pool Clean-up Guide 1. Skim Leaves and Debris Immediately remove floating debris from the pool surface and bottom using a skimmer or leaf net on an extendable pole. Focus on larger debris first; smaller particles will be handled later. Prompt debris removal prevents staining and algae growth, which thrives on storm-borne pollen and plant matter. 2. Clean Out Skimmer Baskets and Pump Strainer With the system power off, thoroughly clean skimmer baskets and the pump strainer to avoid clogs. Storms typically deposit significant debris into these areas, potentially obstructing water flow if not cleared promptly. 3. Check Electrical Equipment and Restore Power Before restarting your pool equipment, inspect for signs of water damage. If any water damage or safety concerns are visible, do NOT attempt to turn equipment back on. Instead, call an electrician. Only restore power if everything is dry and intact. 4. Clean and Backwash the Pool Filter Storms introduce dust, dirt, and small particles into your pool water, necessitating thorough filter cleaning. Follow your filter manufacturer’s guidelines for proper cleaning or backwashing. For DE filters, replace the DE media; for cartridge Read the full article…
Maintaining Your Pool During the Winter Months As the holiday’s approach, winter maintenance for your swimming pool is probably not the main topic on many people’s minds. You also may, or may not have, heard of “winterizing” your pool. That’s because the term has different meanings depending upon where you live. In the northern states, it is somewhat common practice to drain and cover a swimming pool as the winter months approach to prevent pipes from freezing. In Florida, however, there is an entirely different set of important steps to keep our pools properly maintained year-round. The following is a list of the top four things that every Central Florida pool owner should do to maintain their swimming pools during the winter months and the beginning of the spring season. Continue to Clean Your Pool Maintaining your cleaning routine, even if you’re using your pool less or not at all, is still very important during the winter months. Leaves continue to fall this time of the year, so debris traps can become clogged and dirt can build up, obstructing your pool’s filtration system. Old leaves can also cause stains on the sides and floor of your pool and promote algae growth, both of which increase your effort and costs when swim season comes back around. Continue to keep your filter clean, use a leaf skimmer to remove debris and leaves from the pool’s surface and clean up any sunken debris with a pool vacuum. Your pool and your wallet will Read the full article…
