What a storm does to your pool water
Central Mississippi gets pop-up afternoon thunderstorms all summer and a few soaking rains every season. Each one does three things to a pool at once. Rainwater dilutes the chlorine that was keeping algae in check. Runoff from the yard and deck carries in dirt, leaves and lawn fertilizer, which is full of phosphates that algae feed on. And rain is slightly acidic, so it can knock your pH and alkalinity out of range. Here's how Royal Pool Pros explains it to pool owners in Madison County.
Put those together with 90-degree weather and you have the perfect recipe for algae. That's why so many pools around Madison, Ridgeland and Gluckstadt look fine on a Friday and green by Monday after a wet weekend.
What to do right after a storm
Get the debris out first: skim the surface, empty the skimmer and pump baskets, and brush the walls. If the water level rose above the middle of the skimmer opening, lower it so the skimmer can do its job. Then test the water. Free chlorine and pH are the two numbers that matter most right after rain.
If chlorine has dropped, bring it back up, and shock the pool in the evening if the water is hazy. Run the pump longer than usual for a day or two so the filter can catch what the storm washed in. Catching it in the first 24 to 48 hours is the difference between a quick fix and a full green pool cleanup.
- ■Skim, empty baskets, brush
- ■Lower the water level if it's over the skimmer
- ■Test free chlorine and pH
- ■Shock in the evening if the water is cloudy
- ■Run the pump longer for 24–48 hours
Already green? We can help
If the storm won and your pool is already green, Royal Pool Pros does green-to-clean recoveries across Madison County and north Jackson. Send us a photo and we'll text back a price. Our weekly customers rarely get to this point, because we're testing and correcting the water every week, storm or no storm.