Should you be concerned about rainwater in your pool?

Your swimming pool is a perfect balance of chemical composition and optimal pH levels – and it’s this balance that guarantees you a safe and pleasant swim every time. 

So, should you be concerned about rainwater in your pool? Can it alter the composition, or even the cleanliness, of the water? And what can you do to resolve any issues caused by rainwater? 

In this article, we’ll explore these questions to help you maintain the quality of your pool, whatever the weather. 

Is rainwater a problem for a pool? 

The first thing to highlight is that occasional light rain won’t have as big an impact on your pool chemistry and quality, though you’ll still want to regularly check it’s balanced and clean. But heavy rain can come with its problems, so let’s explore these in more detail. 

What problems can rainwater cause for a pool? 

If rainwater is significant or regular, then it can cause a few changes in your pool water that you might want to watch out for.  

• Problems with pH: Our air quality is affected by pollutants and so the rain that falls across the US has a slightly acidic pH. When this enters your pool, it can affect the overall pH level, which should normally be fixed at a neutral pH for safe swimming. If your pH dips too low into acidity, then this can result in damage and corrosion of pool equipment or skin irritation for pool users. 
• Dirt and contamination: Rainwater can also wash dirt, debris, and contaminants into your pool, which means a less sanitary swimming environment. This can make the chlorine work harder to mitigate the introduced contaminants, leading to a depletion of the chemical, which could then encourage algae growth. 
• Rising water levels: Rainwater can also disrupt the optimal water levels in a pool. The pool level should ideally be roughly in the middle of your skimmer, and any additional rainwater can cause this level to rise too much. This can potentially lead to overflowing, flooding, and even improper sanitization and filtration. 

Luckily, it’s simple to restore your pool back to full working order after rainfall. 

So, what’s the solution? 

Follow these simple steps to discover how to recalibrate your pool’s chemistry, pH, and cleanliness after a storm or similar event:

• Adjust water levels: First, check the water levels to see if they are rising above the middle of the skimmer. If so, you will need to drain some water by using an outlet valve or a pool pump set to ‘backwash’. 
• Turn on equipment: If you turned off equipment before a storm, you’ll need to turn it back on again so it can start the circulation process. Make sure to clean out your skimmer basket first! 
• Shock the pool: Do this to kill off a significant proportion of the contaminants brought in by the rainfall. 
• Cleaning: Next, give the pool a good clean. Skim the surface to get rid of any large bits of debris that may have accumulated. You will also want to clean up the inside of your pool using specialist equipment, like brushes and vacuums for the pool floor – a specialist pool cleaning company will be able to provide and operate this equipment for you. 
• Testing and re-balancing: You’ll also want to test the pool to check pH, chlorine, and water hardness. This will tell you if any chemicals need to be replenished. It will also tell you whether your water is too acidic – if so, add in an alkalizing agent to restore the pH back to neutral levels.

Keep your pool in peak condition with help from Backyard Paradise Luxury Pools. We provide an in-house weekly maintenance service to ensure your swimming pool is kept healthy, clean, and safe all year round, whatever the weather. As a leading pool builder and maintenance company for Montgomery, The Woodlands, Spring, and across Greater Houston, you can trust in our knowledge and problem-solving approach to every pool. 

Don’t delay – get in touch with us today to book our services.