You’re sitting outside in your yard next to your pool and enjoying a nice cold drink in the sun. Suddenly, the sunlight dims. You look up and find the dreaded grey clouds. It’s going to rain soon. Now you look over to your pool and think. Should I cover it?
There’s a lot to consider before covering your pool if it’s raining. Whether the rainfall is heavy or light is the main determinator of how you handle your pool.
There’s a lot to consider before covering your pool if it’s raining. Whether the rainfall is heavy or light is the main determinator of how you handle your pool.
Stick around to get the answer to the question you’ve been wondering about; should I cover my pool when it rains?
How Can I Prep My Pool
Before fixing up a prep plan for your pool, you should first know how bad the rain is going to be. Will it be a full-fledged storm or a slightly scattered rain situation?
The best way to find out is by going through the weather report. While at times the reports can be inaccurate, it’s good to trust your instincts. For instance, if your area is prone to a summer monsoon season, then you should always be ready for a heavy downpour.
In all cases, there are methods to prep your pool area. Let’s review the instances of both heavy and light rainfall.
Check Your Pool’s Surroundings
Because you’re dealing with a heavy rainstorm, we recommend turning off any active pool equipment. Any electric circuit can be hazardous at this point. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Aside from your pool prep, you should also look around. Your yard furniture, gardening tools, or any other items laid out precariously should be safely tucked away.
Heavy Rainfall
This might come as a surprise, but if you’re dealing with a heavy rainstorm, it’s best to leave your pool uncovered.
Since there are higher chances of strong wind, using a cover wouldn’t do much to evade the debris flying around. If you do use a pool cover, it might end up flailing around, which defeats its purpose.
That being so, it’s better to leave the pool uncovered, since you don’t want to risk your pool cover getting torn or damaged from flying objects in the storm.
Manage Your Pool’s Water Level
Because you’re leaving your pool uncovered, the heavy flow will undoubtedly increase your pool’s water level. In this scenario, make sure your pool is equipped with a reliable drainage system. You’ll find it surrounding your pool’s edges.
If your pool doesn’t have a drainage system, you can go ahead and use a sump pump to channel out a foot-worth of water.
Be cautious in this step, because you don’t want your pool’s water level to be too low. You’d risk disrupting the pool pump’s motor, causing it to burn up from sucking on air.
Balance Your Pool Water Chemistry
That said, before the heavy rainfall begins, you can add a pool shock to prep your pool for any incoming infesting bacteria from the rain and its surroundings.
Rainfall can bring algae into the mix. This is why you should use an algaecide before expecting rain. You wouldn’t be able to see the algae during the rain, since it’ll bloom the next morning.
Light Rainfall
A little sprinkling water won’t be a major bust to your pool. Unlike the heavy rainfall prep, you can cover your pool in this case.
Although pool covers are mostly used during the heavier seasons, such as winter, you can also use them if it’s drizzling.
Since there’s no resistance to be met from the wind, or any sharp twigs and sticks that’ll damage your pool cover, shielding your pool is a great idea.
Use Your Pool Plug
After covering your pool, make sure you have a cover pump handy to siphon away all the rainwater accumulated on the pool cover. You wouldn’t want all the rainwater going into your pool once the cover’s filled up.
If you have a pool plug, you might be wondering if it’s safe to keep on. The answer is yes. It’ll speed up the filtration process in case any of the rainwater makes contact with your pool water.
Balance Your Pool Water Chemistry
On that note, you should also consider the chemical balance in your pool. If you find yourself too busy to cover your pool during a little drizzle, that won’t be a big issue.
However, you’d need to make sure your pool water is clean from all the acidity brought down from the rain. We recommend regulating your pool’s pH, chlorine level, and calcium hardness.
The Risks of Having Rainwater in Your Pool
If you leave your pool unattended after rain, no matter light or heavy, it can cause some serious damage to your water.
Rainwater goes through layers of the earth’s atmosphere before it touches your pool. The atmosphere is contaminated with all sorts of pollutants, dirt, and algae that you would want to avoid.
- These contaminants are also the culprit of disbalancing your pool’s pH level. Rainwater droplets start pure and have a neutral pH of 7.0. However, the pollutants lower the pH level of the raindrops, as a result, lowering your pool’s pH level.
- A low pH level in your pool can decay the tilling, grout, stone, and equipment in the pool. The pool’s lining will then dissolve, discoloring and clouding your water.
- Rainwater will also decrease your pool’s alkalinity, calcium hardness, and chlorine level, which in turn, decreases the pool’s pH level.
The results of an unkempt rainwater-filled pool are less than desirable and may require drastic measures the more you wait. This is why prepping your pool for any incoming rain is always a good idea, whether it’s heavy or light.
Pool Cover Maintenance
Here are a few tips to take care of your pool cover.
- Clean up the housing habitually. This means pulling out any dirt and scraps that found their way in there.
- Check for wear and tear. Make sure to keep an eye out for the pool cover’s fabric to see if it’s in good shape.
- Keep the pool cover open after incorporating chemicals. The harmful gases excreted might build up and damage the lining of the pool cover.
- Make sure nothing’s holding it down. That means any dirt, debris, and excess water.
Conclusion
There’s a lot to consider before covering your pool if it’s raining. Whether the rainfall is heavy or light is the main determinator of how you handle your pool. Afterwards, you’ll just have to act accordingly.
We recommend always trying to keep your pool’s chemistry balanced after rain. Your pool cover also deserves a little TLC. Looking after your pool and its equipment will give you the clearest pool you’ll want.
Don’t let one rainy day ruin all your pool days. It’s as simple as following the instructions above. You’ll be splish-splashing in your cool clean pool in no time. Good Luck!
