How to Protect Your Pool Before a Storm

If a storm or hurricane is approaching, the last thing you want to worry about is what to do with your swimming pool, patio furniture, plants, and yard. In short: everything you own outside your house that isn’t bolted down.

Post this checklist on your refrigerator or bulletin board so you’ll know what to do to secure your pool or spa during the anxious hours before a storm hits or before evacuation. Better yet, bookmark it and share with friends and family.

Outdoor Furnishings: Bring Inside or Store in Pool

Besides saving your patio furniture, outdoor toys, potted plants, pool cleaning equipment and gardening equipment, you’ll want to bring these items inside to prevent them from damaging your house or other parts of your property if they get battered about by strong winds and heavy rain. For heavier outdoor objects that can’t easily be brought inside, anchor them to something solid with rope, bungee cord, chains, etc.

Some anxious homeowners in the path of a hurricane throw their patio furniture into the pool, in hopes of containing it and keeping it from getting tossed by forceful winds. It has worked for major hotels (see photo).

Do Not Drain Your Swimming Pool

Many pool owners believe that draining their swimming pools or spas before a storm hits will keep it from overflowing and flooding their property. That is incorrect. Properly built or installed pools should be equipped with overflows that will drain excess water.

If you want to empty the water level slightly, then lower it no more than 1-2 feet. Otherwise, the hydrostatic pressure can be too strong, possibly causing the pool to “float” or “pop” out of the ground, according to the Official Broward (Florida) County Hurricane Preparedness Guide. The water in your pool serves as a kind of shield, protecting your pool’s finish from the effects of flying debris.