Hurricane Pool Preparation: The South Florida Homeowner's Checklist

Every South Florida pool owner should have a hurricane plan. Done right, your pool rides out the storm fine and bounces back within a week. Done wrong, you're facing cracked plaster, blown-out equipment, and weeks of green-water recovery.

48–72 hours before the storm

• Shock the pool to 10 ppm free chlorine. This gives you buffer to handle debris and organic load.
• Balance pH and alkalinity to the middle of the ideal range.
• Add an algaecide at maintenance dose.
• Backwash the filter so it starts the storm clean.
• Run the pump heavily for 24 hours to distribute the shock.

24 hours before landfall

• Do NOT drain the pool. A full pool is structurally safer — empty pools can pop out of the ground from groundwater pressure.
• Lower the water 6–12 inches only if you're in a flood zone.
• Remove everything loose from the deck: furniture, toys, skimmer baskets, floats. Store inside or in the pool (the pool is actually a safe place for patio furniture — weighted down, it rides out the storm).
• Do NOT cover the pool. Covers become debris and wind-catches.

Equipment protection

• Turn off pool breakers at the electrical panel.
• Unplug timers and automation controls.
• Wrap the pump motor and heater controls in plastic and tape.
• Remove or secure salt cell and automation panels if removable.
• Don't run the pump during the storm — power fluctuations can burn motors.

After the storm

1. Wait for all-clear from the utility and your local authorities.
2. Check for structural damage to the deck, tile, and waterline before touching equipment.
3. Remove large debris by hand or net. Don't vacuum with the filter system — branches and heavy debris will wreck pump impellers.
4. Test chemistry. Expect high chlorine demand, low pH, and a lot of phosphates.
5. Shock again to 10+ ppm.
6. Run the filter 24/7 until water clears.
7. Restart equipment one piece at a time — pump first, check for leaks, then heater, then salt cell.

When to call us

If you're not sure the equipment is safe to restart, or your pool has heavy structural debris, call us first. Hurricane pool recovery is a specialty — we prioritize existing weekly clients and handle storm-only recoveries by request.

Frequently Asked Questions