What Do I Do to My Swimming Pool After a Flood? Tips for Viking Pool Owners

Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, especially when it comes to rain. Seasons of extreme rainfall, like we have had recently, and flooding can wreak havoc on your pool. Once all of the rain subsides, you are left with a wet murky mess. Don’t worry we have some tips for how to get your Viking swimming pool back in perfect order. You will be soaking in the newly found sunshine from atop your unicorn pool float in no time.

Safety First for You

Your number one concern should be safety. The first thing you want to do is shut off the power to all your pool equipment. This includes pumps, lights, heaters, etc. Flooding can damage your electrical equipment. Damage to any of these items could cause the pool water to be energized, so they should be shut off immediately. If you suspect any damage, you will want to have a professional check these parts to make sure they are safe. Once you are sure there is no damage,  you are free to turn them back on. Take special care if any of these parts were under the high-water line.

Water Care for Your Swimming Pool After a Flood

Once you know everything is safe, you can turn your attention to water care. When the rain waters recede, you can be sure that your beautiful, blue, Viking swimming pool water will be muddy and nasty. Not only is it dirty, but the content will be questionable. Your pool will be contaminated with algae, mud, chemicals or even sewage. All the things you definitely don’t want to swim in. Your best bet is to drain the pool and clean it with 10% muriatic acid. First, determine if the water table around your pool is still high. Trying to drain your pool while the water table is high can cause your inground pool to pop up out of the ground. Give the water time to recede back into a normal range prior to draining your Viking swimming pool. Once your pool is totally clean, you can refill it.

Critters in Your Pool

Another thing you will need to take care of are the critters that have moved in. Snakes, turtles, and insects are known to take up residence in flooded pools. You can take care of the insects that might have laid eggs in your pool with chemicals. There are specialized chemicals that you can buy to kill them while you wait to drain the pool. If there are larger creatures living in the pool, we suggest calling your local animal control department to retrieve and relocate them. You don’t want to add a snake bite to the list of problems caused by the flood!  

Chemical Balance for Your Swimming Pool After a Flood

Now that you have your pool electronics checked, critters removed and the pool water drained, let’s talk about getting it back up and going. Be sure to clean the pool itself well with the above-mentioned method. You also need to purge all the lines. They should be free of any floodwaters before using them again. You must put in new filter media. If any of your stored chemicals were affected by the floodwaters you can not use them. Those that managed to stay dry should be fine to use. Once you have your pool and the surrounding area clean you can begin filling it back up. At this point, the process will be the same as a regular pool opening. Get all of your water levels into the safe zone. Check the water, add chlorine and adjust the PH levels, as you normally would.

 

Taking care of a flooded pool is no easy task. Following these steps will ensure that your swimming pool is safe and clean for the rest of the swim season. If you need to replace any chemicals or if the job is just more than you want to tackle, give us a call. We have dealt with a number of Viking swimming pools after a flood and we would be happy to help in any way that we can.