Backyard Blogging.

Water is a force of nature, and while rain is a blessing, it comes with its share of headaches, too. In this article, we look at what to do if your pool is overflowing from massive amounts of rain.

An Overflowing Pool

Generally when it rains, your pool doesn’t overflow. You wait for excess water to sink into the ground, drain a little pool water, bring us a sample for testing, and then add the necessary chemicals.

But, what do you do when you’ve had days of rain or one really heavy downpour coupled with not-so-great yard drainage?
You may end up with landscaping and grading issues, damage to your pool and even your home, and water no one should swim in. Let’s look at howto address some of these real issues.

Draining Your Pool

The first thing you want to do is remove the extra water in your pool so you can attend to your water chemistry.

But, what do you do if your yard is flooded, and the water has nowhere to go? Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait for your yard to absorb some of the water because it won’t hold any more.

Here are a few ways to lower the water level:

• Siphon the water to lower the levels. Do be aware of where you’ll put the water. If you’re draining it out into the street drains, know your city rules. If your backyard is too full of water, wait a few hours. To siphon the water, you can attach your hose to a spigot and put the other end into the pool. Turn the spigot on until you see water coming out the end of the hose in the pool. Then, unscrew it from the spigot, and cap that end. Then, take that end to the drain and let the water out.
• Use your pump drain. Some pumps have drain spigots, and using this is much easier than siphoning. Connect your hose to the spigot, and the other end to the drain. Open the spigot and let the pump work.
• Try a submersible pump. You may simply have too much water for the other methods, and this one is your best option. Get your pump out, follow the directions, and stand back.
• Call us. We are always here to help with expert service technicians.

Rain and Your Water Chemistry

When rain makes your pool overflow, the amount of chemicals you put into the pool are off. Why? There’s simply too much water for the amount of chemicals you added to your pool. Rain is also acidic which affects your pool chemistry.

Plus, rainwater adds pollutants from the air to your pool and brings in contamination you definitely don’t want. And, algae can set in quickly if you don’t act fast.

When your pool overflows, you definitely want to address the chemical issues. Test your water, or lets us do it, and see what chemicals you need to add. It’s also a good rule of thumb to shock your pool after heavy rain.

Avoid an Overflowing Pool

There are a few ways you can keep your pool from overflowing or minimize the problem.

First, you can lower your pool water level before the storm. Check the weather forecast and lower it by at least a few inches.

Second, you can attend to the drainage in your yard. Poor drainage is the cause of a myriad of water problems for homeowners, and you’ll help your home and your pool by making sure your drainage is adequate.

Final Thoughts

Be prepared for the rain, lower your water levels, and make sure you’re ready to check your water chemistry. After rains, you can always bring us a sample of your water, and we’ll test it for free in our computerized ALEX system. Then, you get a computer printout of what you need to do to bring your water back to swimmable levels.

Photo from Pixabay