It seems most reasonable to me to test and maintain chemistry to the extent chemicals are available, together with removal of all organics and brushing as we might always do. If a storm is targeting, I try to get several fresh jugs of chlorine on hand. But most folks I know just let the pool go as there are so many higher priorities during extended power outages, with restoration of the pool rather low on the list. And many of those folks I know simply left town for awhile. My first priority is always to keep the household safe with water, food, refrigeration and even a small window A/C unit to make the hot nights more tenable and to the extent a generator and fuel is available. No small tasks those. Next is helping neighbors and with other neighborhood issues, charging folks phones, finding the working cell carriers, acquiring emergency information, clearing debris, etc. Third, for me anyway, is joining other teams to help distribute water and food at various rescue centers. Finally a neighbor and I chose to take in a few folks whose homes were unlivable. Finally the pool! …
Under such strains, it sure would be nice to take an occasional swim break! I think about having a spare pump on hand, maybe a corded variable speed 120 volt version that I could quickly plumb in and run on a very low speed, perhaps also adding a cord rewired into my SWG from the 120 volt genny. There are tons of shared ideas in threads, some dated, some safe and some not, and found in searches such as
Generator to run pool pump?. I guess the extreme advance plan installs a $20K - $40K dual fuel whole house generator with automatic power transfer. Even with that, fuel is the next concern.
Something I’ve
not quite figured out: In one of the posted storm prep threads –
2023 Hurricane Prep – much is written about how to keep the pool from flooding the house during heavy rainstorms. Do folks actually have pools installed at elevations above the home and surrounded by decks that do not self drain? It reminds me of the misconception that pool water rising to the level of surrounding coping/deck will suddenly result in the entire pool draining into the house. It’s fine to pump down the pool to keep the skimmer functional, but I can’t think of any other reason. Maybe it’s just me. Sorry if I've wandered off topic a bit.
Prayers for all those enduring tough storm challenges.
