How to Clean Your Swimming Pool After a Flood

“Spring” and “floods” may seem synonymous, but flood events are not limited to a single season. Heavy rains, tropical storms and hurricanes can lead to flood situations any time of year.

Flooding can be catastrophic for homeowners. However, even if your home isn’t flooded, your yard and inground swimming pool might be.

Pool flooding can happen a couple of ways. Heavy rains may raise pool water above the recommended level. This can throw off your pool chemistry and result in cloudy water that requires a pool shock treatment.

More severe pool flooding occurs when ground water or water from other nearby sources rises above ground level. Once your swimming pool is under water, you should act carefully to bring back pool water to a safe, swimmable condition.

This article outlines the steps to take if your swimming pool is affected by flooding in your area. 

If possible, try to protect yourself and your pool even before an expected flood by turning off electrical pool equipment. Switch off, unplug or cut the power to anything that runs on electricity, including the pool pump, jets, heaters and lights.

When the flood waters have receded, check that the pool area is safe to enter and inspect your pool equipment for damage. If you’re uncertain what to look for, call a professional to ensure the system is safe to run.

Your pool deck is likely littered with debris, so now is the time to tidy up. Cleaning the area around your pool ensures you won’t accidentally knock more debris into the water as you work.

At this point, your flooded pool is probably filled with all sorts of gunk and garbage. Flood waters can introduce a long list of contaminants to your pool water, including:

• Mud

• Debris (foliage, branches, landscaping materials)

• Insects

• Animals (dead and alive)

• Sewage

• Oils and Chemicals

• Trash

• Bacteria

You might be tempted to empty your pool and start over. However, most pool experts advise against completely draining a swimming pool. At the very least, they recommend letting a professional handle the task.

Draining a pool is a tricky procedure that comes with certain risks. The water in your pool weighs it down and keeps it in place. Without that weight, the pressure on your pool’s shell from surrounding soil and underground water could cause it to heave and crack. This could create expensive or even irreparable damage.

While you don’t want to empty your pool entirely, you may need to reduce the water level, especially if your swimming pool doesn’t have an overflow line. Use a pump to bring the water to the recommended level, no more than halfway up the wall skimmer ports.

Here’s where some of the most backbreaking work begins. Use your pool cleaning equipment – pool skimmer, leaf rake, brushes and pool vacuum set to “waste” – to remove as much debris from the pool as possible.

If your pump and filter are dry and safe to use, turn them on. Clean out the pump strainer and skimmer basket. Backwash your pool filter and/or clean filter cartridges.

Brush and vacuum your pool to get rid of any remaining debris.

Your pool water may look clean now, but it’s still full of dangerous bacteria and contaminants.

Test the water’s alkalinity levels, pH, calcium hardness and chlorine levels, adding the necessary products to bring water chemistry to recommended levels. Consider a shock treatment to kill any remaining bacteria or algae.

Remember to follow the specific guidelines provided by the pool equipment and chemical manufacturers and consider seeking professional assistance. 

Getting your swimming pool back into shape after a flood won’t be easy. However, the time and effort spent on the task will be worth it to enjoy many more seasons of fun in the sun.

If you can’t handle the job of cleaning a pool after a flood on your own, consider the value that the assistance of a pool professional can provide.

Shop Christmas Central's Pool and Spa store for pool chemicals, equipment and accessories.

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