In today’s post I’m going to show you exactly what to do if your pool overflows with rain.
Because having an overflowing pool can affect your pool chemistry and leave you with a flooded backyard.
And no pool owner wants that.
So let’s go over how to drain and lower water from your pool after rain, and I’ll give you three tips to prevent your pool from overflowing in the future.
What happens if my pool overflows?
Most of the time, when your pool overflows, it’s a big headache, but nothing that can’t be remedied.
You’ll just need to wait for your yard to absorb the excess, drain off some pool water, and balance your pool chemicals.
That’s the best case scenario.
The worst case scenario happens when there has been major overflow and you have poor drainage in your yard.
In that case, you may have landscape and structure damage, contaminated water, and various other concerns that come with a flooded yard.
How an overflowing pool can affect pool chemistry
Your pool water cleanliness depends on a very specific balance of chemicals.
When your pool overflows, your pool becomes diluted and throws the chemical balance off.
Not only that, but rainwater also tends to carry pollutants with it that can cause contamination that needs to be dealt with.
One of the first things you need to do is test your chemicals and get those numbers balanced fast, before yucky nuisances like algae threaten to take over.
But before you do that, you will have to get your water levels back down to normal.
How to drain & lower water from your pool after rain
When a pool overflows, it’s important to remove excess water quickly so that you can restore the chemistry levels.
But if your yard is so flooded that it is still flowing in and out of your inground pool, you may have to do the best you can and then wait for your yard to absorb some of it.
Also, if your pool now has a lot of debris and dirt, it is a good idea to lower it a little more than usual so you can add clean water later.
- Read: Our complete guide to how to drain your above ground pool
Siphon it
This is probably the easiest method for lowering pool water.
But first you will need to figure out what drainage area you need to use and if it can handle the amount of water you are about to remove. Also check your city regulations to see if they have any specific rules regarding pool drainage.
To siphon the water, screw one end of a garden hose onto a spigot. Then submerge the other end of the hose into the pool completely.
Now, turn the water faucet on full blast until you see water coming out of the end of the hose that is in the pool — usually about half a minute.
Next, unscrew the hose from the spigot and cover the end quickly with a hose cap or kink it close to the end. The idea is to keep the water in the hose.
Lastly, you will take the covered end to the drain and open the hose up to start emptying water.
Use your pump drain spigot
If your pump has a drainage spigot, this will be even easier than siphoning the water.
Simply connect a garden hose to the spigot, take the other end of the hose to the drain, open up the spigot and the pump should do the work.
It’s a good idea to have one person at the spigot and one at the drain during this process so that someone knows when to turn off the spigot so as not to drain too much water.
Use a submersible pump
If there’s too much water for either of those methods to work quickly, you may need to rent a submersible pump from your local home improvement store.
They’re simple enough to use, but you’ll need to follow their directions to the letter to do so safely.
These pumps are to be—you guessed it—submersed into the pool.
There will usually be hoses or other attachments to hook up as well, and then the unit is plugged in to an electrical outlet.
If it seems too complicated to use, make sure you get a complete rundown from the guy you are renting it from, or if he doesn’t know what he’s doing, call the manufacturer. You can usually also get very good instructions online.
Call a professional
That’s right, I went there.
If it feels like a problem too big for you to handle on your own, or if you have to use a rowboat to paddle through your yard, it might be time for you to find a pro.
If you’re not sure who to call, you can start with your local pool supply store. They’ll know who to put you in contact with.
3 tips to prevent your pool from overflowing
Things are a whole lot easier if you can prevent your pool from overflowing in the first place.
But since you can’t control the weather, you will need to take some precautions that you can control.
- 1When there’s a big storm brewing, outsmart it and lower your pool water a little before it hits. Sure, it’s hard to know how much to lower it, but even a few inches will help.
- 2Check the drainage in your yard. The best measure to keep your pool from overflowing and causing damage is to make sure that your yard drains properly; try running a hose to see where the water runs to and how fast.
- 3Make sure the deck is pitched slightly away from the pool to keep contaminants flowing out of your pool rather than into it.
Other pool problems caused by rain
Aside from flooding your yard, rain can wreak havoc on your pool in several ways:
Imbalanced pool chemistry
I already talked a little about this, but it bears repeating.
Rain is acidic, so it causes a specific type of chemistry imbalance that can take time to correct.
Damaged pool equipment
This is especially an issue during storm with strong winds, but pool equipment can be damaged or thrown around, causing damage to your pool. Imagine a lawn chair being launched directly into the pump!
Always put away pool equipment and accessories when you know a storm is coming.
Heavy rains can also flood your pool equipment, damaging motors and electronics.
Turn all the power off and put away anything removable.
Uninvited contaminants
Rain brings with it not only acid, but also leaves, debris and algae spores.
When these things get washed into the pool, it’s important to remove them ASAP before they become a problem.
Bottom line
You may not be able to prevent the storms, but you can certainly be prepared when you’re expecting one.
If it does happen to get the best of you, though, make sure you take the steps to lower your water and balance your pool chemistry as quickly as possible.
It’s probably also a good idea to shock your pool following a big rain.
Keeping all those levels in range is what will keep your pool clean and healthy for when the weather allows you to swim again.
Hi, I’m Matt Harper, the founder of poolcareguy.com, a site I started with one simple mission: to help people around the world clean and take care of their pools and hot tubs on their own, without the hassle.
I’m not a professional pool cleaner and don’t have any formal training, I’m just an average guy who loves hanging out by his pool and hot tub and taking care of it. After many years on the job, I’ve become quite good at it.
On this website I will be teaching you absolutely everything I know about pools and hot tubs.
