As the rainy season in Southern California begins, homeowners are now often unable to use their backyard swimming pool. Cold temperatures, high winds, and heavy rains make it uncomfortable to swim outside and enjoy your time in the water. However, rain does more than affect your mood while swimming; it also affects your pool water. It’s important to know the several ways in which rainwater affects your swimming pool so that you can effectively fix any issues that arise when the wet season subsides.

Swimming Pool Water Chemistry

The biggest way that heavy rains affect your swimming pool is by affecting the water chemistry. Your water’s pH balance and alkalinity levels need to be carefully maintained all year long; it’s one of the biggest parts of pool ownership. However, the acidity of rainwater can throw these levels off and cause you to need to rebalance your chemical levels before you next go swimming. A pool should typically have a pH level of 7.4 to 7.6. Rainwater has an average pH balance of about 5.0, so heavy rainfall can slightly lower the pH balance of your pool. All rainwater in the US is slightly acidic due to prevalent industrial gasses, so if you experience heavy rain, this acidic water can throw off your pool’s pH balance.

Debris & Contaminants

Another common nuisance that accompanies rainfall is debris. Heavy rain and winds tend to drop pollen, algae spores, leaves, trash, and other items into your backyard and along the bottom of your pool. Not only do these items create a safety hazard for any swimmers, but they can also clog your filter and pumps. This can damage your system and make it more difficult to clean further debris from the pool. Of these contaminants, the biggest concern is algae. The formation and spread of algae is hazardous and can cause damage to your pool’s surface. In order to avoid replastering, shock your pool at the end of the season and immediately clean any visible algae.

Excess Water

Be careful of excess water during this time of year. If your pool is too full, heavy rains can cause your pool to overflow, in turn causing flooding in areas of your home. Whether it’s your back lawn or your home itself, flooding is never a good thing. Even flooding pool equipment such as filters and pumps can cause an issue when you need to keep your pool clear of debris. Drain your pool to the proper level as soon as you can in order to avoid any flooding, leaking, or structural damage.

If you’re considering installing a pool in your backyard or refinishing your existing swimming pool, give So Cal Pool Plaster a call. We proudly serve all of Southern California with premier replastering, refinishing, and remodeling services for pools of all types. We can add water features, tanning shelves, swim-up bars, waterslides, and anything else you can dream up. Turn your backyard into your personal oasis with pool restoration from So Cal Pool Plaster. Give us a call today at (714) 617-8182 for a free estimate.