Essential Hurricane Pool Prep Checklist for Commercial Pools

Summer pool season brings so much: for many commercial pool owners and operators, it marks your busiest, highest revenue-earning months; with that, of course, there’s increased maintenance and care. Hopefully, you’re also able to relax and enjoy some poolside moments yourself. But inevitably, in coastal regions and even for some inland states, summer also means hurricane season–which means hurricane pool worries, risks, and prep. 

This year looks to be no different, as Hurricane Beryl marked the start of 2024’s Atlantic hurricane season this June, first hitting Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula before ripping through the Caribbean and ultimately making a US landfall in Texas in early July. At times strengthening to a Category 5 hurricane, Beryl was “fueled by warm waters” in the Atlantic that have hit a record high for this time of year, setting the stage for more strong storms throughout this year’s season.

While hurricanes are unavoidable, there are critical and essential steps you can take to prepare your pool to minimize the damage (and your stress) and make your post-storm recovery work easier. 

Should I drain my pool before a hurricane? And other key questions answered first.

It seems like common sense to drain a pool before a hurricane and defend against flooding, debris, and difficult cleanup. But the answer is no, do not drain your pool before a hurricane. Heavy rains during hurricanes, tropical storms, and other strong storms increase groundwater and pressure around your pool and can cause an empty pool to float or lift out of the ground. It is far better, simpler, and cheaper to leave pool water in the pool during a storm.

We also frequently see questions about if you should leave the pool pump on through a hurricane. The answer is also no, you should not leave pool pumps on.  While it may seem like a good idea to run your pump during a storm, electricity and water are a dangerous mix. You want to turn power off at the breaker for all electrical pool equipment, including pool pumps. Ultimately, it will be far safer as well as even make clean-up and post-storm recovery easier and less expensive.

As always, pay attention to your local authorities’ advisements and updates and follow all instructions regarding shelter and evacuation. 

Checklist: how to prepare your pool for a hurricane:

Close the pool early enough to give yourself plenty of time to safely and thoroughly prep. If you’re prepping multiple pools and properties, this advice is worth double.

Bring all deck chairs, tables, umbrellas, equipment, etc. inside to store securely. This is a must for safety; left out unsecured, deck furniture can quickly become dangerous projectiles as they get whipped around by storm winds and can be thrown into windows and buildings. Do not ever place these inside your pool either; they are not secure there and can also leave difficult-to-remove metal stains.

Clean and recharge your pool filter.

Clean your debris strainers and pump impellers–you’re likely to collect extra debris in your pool water during a storm.

Check your water chemistry and give your pools a chlorine shock treatment. This will help protect your pool water from contamination from increased debris, bacteria, dirt, sand, and groundwater. You may also consider an algae control treatment to defend against algae spores.

Do not put a pool cover over your pool, as it is likely to get damaged during a storm from flying debris. Post-storm clean-up will also be easier if you leave the pool cover off.

Do keep your water in the pool, as it will be better protected if you leave the pool water in. You may consider draining just a few inches to prepare for any flooding.

Turn power off: you should turn off circuit breakers at the main electrical panel. Ensure pool equipment including pump motors, pool lighting, filter equipment, chlorinators, and heaters are turned off and kept from operating during the storm. Electricity and water are not a good combination during strong storms.

Protect your electrical pool equipment including pump motors, time clocks, and other electrical components by wrapping them in waterproof plastic, then tie down to protect from sand and water. If flooding is likely or expected, you should disconnect these items and store them in a dry, secure location.

Take pictures of your pool hurricane prep for insurance purposes.

Log your final water chemistry check and chlorine shock treatment and secure in a dry location. 

Once your local evacuation orders have been lifted, major roads to all pool properties are reopened, and curfews have been lifted, you also want to wait until any flooded areas on the property are dry and equipment is dry, and power is restored, to return for post-storm recovery. Triple-check for any health or safety hazards.

Once it is safe to return to work on your pool or pools after the hurricane, you can:

PoolShark H2O’s simple app can do the complex pool math equations for you automatically, in seconds, making it simple to rebalance your pool water after a storm and ensure your pools are safe to reopen. As a digital logbook, it locks pool chemical test results and adjustments, making them 100% Health Department compliant and alerting managers and owners when pools go untested for more than 24 hours or require attention.

You don’t want to mess around with pool safety before, or after, a hurricane or storm. PoolSharkH2O makes recovering and reopening your pools safer, easier, and less costly.