Hurricane season is upon us again, and this year experts are predicting a lot of storm activity for the southwest Florida area. Is your pool ready?
There are a lot of things to consider when preparing your pool for a hurricane. You want to protect your infrastructure and equipment, manage your water level and chemicals, and ensure that your whole home is safe.
Here are some things that you should be doing immediately to protect yourself and your pool from hurricane damage.
Manage the Potential Plant Debris in the Area
Trim branches and other flora that otherwise could fall in a windstorm. Falling branches can cause significant damage to your pool’s cage. Also, plant matter in your pool itself greatly increases the risk of algae growth and other damaging contaminants in your water.
Store Your Accessories
Your chairs, tables, toys and other pool accessories can become dangerous projectiles in a hurricane. You should have proper, secure storage or other ways of locking down your furniture and equipment. If nothing else, bring these things inside where they’ll be secure and protected from the wind.
Note: The old advice used to be that you could put non-floating items in the pool itself so they won’t get caught in the wind. We don’t advise this. Throwing items in the water can damage your pool and even introduce rust and other particulates into the water.
Protect Your Electrical Equipment
Wind can damage your pool pump and other electrical equipment, and we know water and electricity are a bad combo. Take whatever steps are necessary to protect your permanently plumbed electrical equipment from a storm. This includes sandbagging the area if your property is at risk for flooding or storm surge.
If you’re experiencing a storm and your electrical equipment suddenly becomes at risk, cut the power via your breaker box.
Careful Clean-Up
If you suspect any of your equipment has been damaged in a storm—especially regarding your electrical systems or plumbing—call an expert to assess the situation. We don’t want any issues to linger, and we don’t advise handling things yourself unless you’re certain of the situation.
Safety First
Making these changes can disrupt the way you interact with your pool on a day-to-day basis. As always, you should keep safety in mind—especially if your storm prep alters your child safety measures.
We want you to be able to enjoy your pool this summer on all the days when we’re not experiencing a hurricane. Bahama Blue will continue to be here to help. Please don’t hesitate to call us if you need more guidance on hurricane preparedness.
In the meantime, have a happy summer, Sarasota-Manatee!
