There are times when the rain comes and it’s just too much to handle. Your landscaping is saturated. The gutters back up and you just don’t have the drainage system to handle the 100 year storm. One part of your landscape you shouldn’t ignore in a rainstorm is your pool. You may notice your pool water level starting to cover your tile line, and nearing the bottom of the deck or coping. This is a good time to drain some water out of the pool. What if it’s too late, and your pool is already overfilled? You may be wondering what to do if pool overflows?
What To Do If Pool Overflows Step By Step Checklist
In this article, we’ll explain how to handle an overflowing pool. We’ll also detail why this unfortunate events commonly occurs. Here is a step by step guide to fix your overflowing pool.
Step 1: Locate Garden Hose + Visit Pool Equipment
The first thing to do is grab a garden hose and head to the pool equipment. There is almost always a hose bib between the pump and the filter. Attach the hose to the hose bib and run the hose someplace you can comfortably dump a lot of water.
Step 2: Open Hose Bib + Drain Pool
Then turn on the pool equipment and open the hose bib. Water will drain out of the pool at approximately 10-15 gallons per minute. Set a timer for 10 minutes to come back and check on the water level. Never drain down the pool without setting a timer.
It’s very important to maintain the water level in your pool. Not only do you have to make sure you keep ahead of evaporation and prevent the pump from sucking air through the skimmers, but you must do what you can to prevent the pool overfilling. When building a new pool it’s important to make sure you install an overflow into the pool. This will provide a way for excess water to get out of the pool. However, if you have an existing pool, this isn’t always an option without some serious renovation work.
Why Do Pools Overflow?
So how do pools overfill anyway? There are a few ways pools can overflow. We’ll outline the most common and a few others. Additionally, we also will suggest how to mitigate the risk of these situations. If you have any questions related to your pool, please contact us.
Reason #1: Rainwater
The most obvious way is rainwater. In some parts of the country it’s not uncommon to get inches of water in a single rainstorm, and sometimes over the course of an afternoon to a few days you’ll get enough water to more than overfill your pool.
Reason #2: Broken Water Level
There is one cause to overfilling however that you need to remember. You may have a broken toilet float style automatic water levelers. Chances are, you have a Pentair T40FW or a A & A Quik Water Leveler. These can break in two distinct ways, similar to your toilet.
What To Do If Pool Overflows Due To Water Leveler
First, the water leveler breaks and fails to add water. This is the ideal condition. You notice the water evaporating and realize you need to repair the water leveler. The second way they can break is to get stuck in the open position and continue adding water indefinitely. This is a huge problem. This is especially concerning if you don’t have an overflow in your pool and you aren’t home for a few days. Overfilling a pool can cause serious damage to your pool, deck and surrounding masonry. Of course, this depends on your soil conditions and how your yard drainage is designed.
How To Prevent Broken Water Leveler Risk
To prevent the risk of a broken water leveler being the cause of your pool overflowing, it’s a good idea to consider an electronic automatic water leveler like the Jandy Levolor K-1100. These level control systems cost about 5 times more than the toilet float style but don’t have the tendency to break in the same way. With some creativity and effort you can add these to existing pools by installing the level control sensor in the skimmer. The water is added at the pool equipment with a solenoid valve which opens and closes depending on the sensor being dry or wet.
What To Do If Pool Overflows Summary
Ultimately, the best thing to do when your pool overflows is to get the water out of the pool immediately. Although, if you find out your pool is overfilling for reasons other than rainwater, it’s a good idea to do a little investigating and solve the problem. Keeping your pool in prime condition is always a good idea. Water level control is an important part of any ongoing maintenance program.