And it rained and rained and rained?
All this rain puts such a damper on summer. And it seems right now us Nova Scotians just can’t catch a break. Other than reducing our swimming time it also wreaks havoc on your swimming pool water. Here are a few tips to make sure your pool water bounces back in time for your next poolside get together.
A rainy day here and there is great for the backyard. It helps top up the pool, gives the lawn and plants a nice watering and lets us all get the indoor tasks done that you know you won’t do if it’s all sunshine and daisies out there. A rainy day doesn’t really affect us much nor your swimming pool water for the most part. On the flip side, a lot of rain, a rainstorm, or days of rain can make a clear pool go completely wonky. Let’s bring her back from the brink.
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Let’s drain some water! Make sure you do this using the drain or waste setting on your sand filter and not the backwash setting unless you are due. The drain/waste settling allows the water to bypass the sand going right through the head and out the backwash hose. Prevents the sand from being turned over when it’s not at its sweet spot yet.
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One of the first things you want to do is definitely get a professional water test done. All this rain has diluted your pool water, lowering alkalinity, ph, calcium, stabilizer and salt levels if that applies to you. Now would be the perfect time to get in for your monthly test and bring all the levels back to normal. Don’t forget you need a 1L water sample! Note your inventory and don’t forget to mention if the pool has gone cloudy or has algae.
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Once the levels are looking good the pool probably needs a shock. Rain can bring a lot of contaminates and while it was raining you probably didn’t pop out there to check your chlorine level and refill the chlorinator or skimmer basket. Shocking now does a quick clean-up of the pool and restores that dull look the water may now have.
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Refill the chlorinator, skimmer basket, or add salt if needed.
Tips to prepare for next time:
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Grab an egg! Make sure you have shock on hand for the next time. A heavy duty shock like power chlor or the new Angry Egg will fit the bill. -
Keep the solar blanket off for at least some of the time. Blankets reduce circulation, are not meant to be on during the day and promote cloudiness and algae grow.
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Be mindful of thunder storm warnings. A power surge can knock out the pump and heater so be sure to check on them periodically. As you know, we recommend you never turn your pump off and this is not the time to break the rules. Moving water tends to be clear water.
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Keep chemicals on hand for increasing all your balancing levels and chlorine.
And with some post rain tips your pool will be ready to swim in again in no time.
Need more help? Give the R&R Team a call at 902.876.2773 or send out an email to info@rrpools.ca
