La Nina Summer Pool Care Guide
Don’t let La Niña ruin your summer of poolside fun! With predictions of a long, wet summer ahead, this can have serious complications for your pool.
Heavy rainfall means leaves, dirt and algae spores get delivered into your pool. Phosphates get deposited into the water and chlorine, salt and minerals are diluted. Combined with sunlight, these conditions are perfect for algae to grow and turn your healthy pool, into a green pool. It also affects the water’s pH, calcium hardness, total dissolved solids, alkalinity and other chemical levels.
What is La Niña Weather?
La Niña is a weather pattern characterized by above average rainfall for eastern, northern, and central parts of Australia, as well as potential storms and flooding. It is a cause for concern for backyard pool owners as it can bring challenges to pool maintenance.
What are the effects of La Niña?
Poolwerx Founder and CEO John O’Brien says the effects of this excess rain are pretty significant on your pool and could have a huge impact on backyard summer fun.
“It is pivotal for pool owners to prepare in advance, and work with their local Poolwerx team to manage these effects during and after the season, to ensure they still have a healthy pool to create backyard family memories in. The solution is simple - prepare in advance and take the necessary steps to avoid greater cost and energy to remedy the situation after summer.”
La Nina & Your Pool
The effects of this excess rain can have a significant impact on your pool’s health if you don’t look after it properly.
Along with the usual culprits that accompany heavy rain, such as debris, garden runoffs, overflow and contaminates, La Niña weather brings additional long-term consequences – the dilution of pool chemicals, green pools, and increased risk of mosquito-borne viruses.
Below is our easy guide to help you maintain a healthy pool during La Niña.
Tips for La Nina Pool Care
Tip #1: Prepare Your Pool For Rain
Before rain hits, it’s important to balance the pool properly. Consider adding some Vitalyse Poly Plus Algaecide to help fight off many of the organic contaminants the rainwater introduces, making it easier to clean the pool after the rain dissipates.
For more information on how to prepare your swimming pool for storm season, watch our video.
Tip #2: Clean The Pool After Rain
Once the rain has passed, you can begin to clean the pool – but you’ll want to act fast, as if the pool isn’t cleaned and the chemical imbalance isn’t corrected quickly, this can damage pool equipment leading to expensive repairs.
Empty the skimmer and pump baskets and remove large debris and leaves from the water. They will influence the water chemistry of the pool and potentially stain the pool’s surface.
For more information on how to treat your pool after a storm, watch our video.
Tip #3: Regular Pool Water Testing
Storms and heavy rain can greatly affect the pH, water chemistry and chlorine levels of your pool. As a result, it's recommended that you regular test your pool water after a storm or heavy rain in order to prevent an algae outbreak, brown pool or costly clean up bill.
Test & balance the pool water
Poolwerx provides free water testing in-store. Take a sample of pool water to your local Poolwerx for a free water test where our experts will analyse the results and recommend the best products for your pool.
Handy tip: Always take a water sample at elbow depth to get an accurate water chemistry reading – especially after heavy rain.
For more on how often you should test your pool water, watch our video.
Tip #4: Add a Floccing Agent
Heavy rainfall can lead to water runoff into your pool containing dirt, soil and mud. If your pool is looking brown, add Vitalyse Fast Floc.
This is a fast-acting agent and perfect to use after rainstorms as it binds dirt and mud particles together to the bottom of the pool floor where they can be vacuumed.
Fixing a Brown Pool
Heavy rainfall can lead to water runoff into your pool containing dirt, soil and mud. If your pool is looking brown, add Vitalyse Fast Floc.
This is a fast-acting agent and perfect to use after rainstorms as it binds dirt and mud particles together to the bottom of the pool floor where they can be vacuumed.
For more information on how to fix a brown pool after rain, watch our video.
Tip #5: Use an Algaecide
During a rainstorm, leaves, dirt and algae spores get delivered into pool water. Phosphates get deposited into the water and chlorine, salt and minerals get diluted. Combined with sunlight, these conditions are perfect for algae to grow and affect the health of a pool, leading to a green pool. In addition, if rainwater runs off the property’s roof or deck, it can also introduce foreign contaminants, alter the water’s pH, calcium hardness, total dissolved solids, alkalinity and other chemical levels.
Stop Algae Growing
Leaves, dirt and algae spores delivered into the pool water decompose, causing phosphates to be deposited into the water, which can result in a green pool once the sun comes out – and fast! Ensure you maintain correct chlorine levels as this will not only help keep your pool clean & healthy but will also help to prevent additional water usage and avoid you having to fix issues such as a ‘green pool’. If your pool has turned green after a storm, try using an algaecide, such as the Vitalyse Algae Remover to effectively kill the algae in the pool.
Want more information on a green pool clean-up or how to fix a green pool after rain? Head to our blog here.
Tip #6: Use a Shock Treatment
Your pool water may appear cloudy as your chlorine, salt or minerals have been diluted. We recommend Vitalyse Crystal Clear in conjunction with Vitalyse Shock n Swim to help get your pool water sparkling again.
Prevent Cloudy Pools
Rain can dilute the chlorine, salt or minerals to where you can’t see the pool floor, but
the water is a non-green colour. A quality pool clarifier or shock treatment such as Vitalyse Shock n
Swim will work to catch and group the tiny particles. This makes them easier for the filter to collect
and remove.
Want more information on a how to fix a cloudy pool after rain? Head to our blog here.
