Storm Cleanup for a Screened Lanai Pool After a Florida Storm

If you live in Melbourne, Viera, Rockledge or on the beaches, you know the sequence. The sky turns dark by three o'clock, the wind picks up, the lanai cage rattles, and twenty minutes later it's over. Then you step outside and the pool looks like a different place. Palm fronds across the water. Leaves in every corner. A cloudy tint that wasn't there this morning. The cleanup is manageable if you do it in the right order.

First, make sure it's safe

Stay out of the water and off the deck while there's lightning anywhere close. Look around the cage for bent frames, torn screens or loose panels before you start working under it. Check for downed lines or branches in contact with anything electrical. If the equipment pad flooded, or the breaker tripped during the storm, don't power the pump back on and don't stand in water near the equipment. Turn things off at the breaker and call for help. Pool lights and electrical gear that got soaked need a professional's eye before they run again.

Remove the big debris by hand

Start with a leaf net and your hands, wearing gloves. Pull out the fronds, branches and heavy leaves before anything else. If you run the pump or a vacuum first, large debris can jam the baskets, strain the pump and push fine material deeper into the filter. Get the bulk out of the water first and the rest of the job goes faster.

Empty the baskets, then do it again

Once the pump is safe to run, check the skimmer basket and the pump basket. After a storm they fill quickly, sometimes in an hour. Empty them, run the pump a while, and empty them again. A packed basket chokes flow, and low flow after a storm is how a clear pool turns green over the next few days.

Brush and vacuum

Brush the walls, steps and floor so the fine debris that settled lifts back into the water where the filter can catch it. Then vacuum. Go slowly, and expect to clean the baskets and check the filter pressure several times as you work. If you have an automatic cleaner, take it out until the heavy debris is gone, because it can clog or tangle on a mess like this.

Watch the water level

Heavy rain can raise the water well above the skimmer, which stops the skimmer from working properly. To lower it, use your filter's waste setting or a submersible pump, and bring it back to around the middle of the skimmer opening. Go slowly and don't let it drop too far. And a word on preparation: if you hear a storm is coming, don't drain the pool ahead of it. An empty pool can take on problems that a full one avoids.

Test the water, then balance it

Storm water dilutes your chemistry and brings in organic material, and organic material uses up your sanitizer. Test the water after the debris is out, not before, and add chemicals only as the test calls for. Rain can push pH and chlorine out of range quickly, and warm weather after a storm makes algae a real risk. If the water stays cloudy after cleanup and a day or two of circulation, bring a sample to our store and we'll help you figure out what's missing.

Check the equipment before you trust it

• Confirm the pump primes and runs without unusual noise.
• Look for water or debris around the motor and the control panel.
• Watch the filter pressure, and clean the filter if it climbs.
• Check that pool lights come on normally and the breaker holds.
• Look at the lanai cage for damage that lets debris in next time.

When to hand it off

Some cleanups are a quick afternoon. Others are bigger than one person with a net, especially after a major storm when the whole neighborhood is dealing with the same mess. That's part of what our weekly maintenance program covers. Beyond the regular visit, we offer special cleaning service, from storm cleanups to spring cleanups and special needs, to get you back in the swim. If something looks wrong with the equipment, our repair team can look at the pumps, filters, lights and controls too.

If your pool took a beating, call Aqua-Rite at (321) 255-0506, or come by the store at 4100 N. Wickham Road, #122, in Melbourne. You can read about our service at /services/weekly-pool-maintenance, and about equipment repairs at /services/pool-repairs. We serve Melbourne, Rockledge, Suntree, Viera and the beach communities from Satellite Beach to Indialantic.