Florida rains overflowing pool

[Blueoasis]

hello everyone! New to the group and new to owning a pool. I need your experience and opinions. We have a saltwater pool and the company only built deco drains. Last night we got a torrential downpour of FL summer rains and our whole screened patio area flooded. It looked like we had a NO pool.
When we asked the pool builders about drains they said prior customers complained so they stopped putting them in. We checked with another company and they said same issues. My concern is last night there was so much water it went all the way to our patio sliders to the point where the puppy was slurping water from the slider door tracks. If we DO get hit by the hurricane next week I'm scared we will get even more rain and water might even come in the house

Other than draining with the back hose is there another option? Our pool cleaning company always advised against draining from hose as it depletes chemicals and can cause algae buildup.

Attached are photos from last night. The water did evaporate and drain out after the rain stopped but as you can see the pool was very full.

Any help is greatly appreciated as we dont want to swim in this mudbath!

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Ok... Welcome to TFP (gotta get that outta the way)

What in the world is a "deco drain" ? Can you show me a pic of your equipment pad please? I'd like to see what options you have there.

IGNORE your pool company.... they are clueless if they think an overflowing pool is preferable to a few lost ppm's of chemicals.

Glad you found us.... I've been having so much rain in GA this summer I've drained more than we ever have before!

Maddie

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Option 1- small sump pump placed on step and allowed to drain via hose to an outside location. Larger pumps are rented thru Home Depot.

Option 2- If you have to do it without the sump pump you can use a hose to siphon the water out of the pool, brushing the patio water out and send it all outside of the birdcage.

Option 3- If you have a way of backwashing built in to your equipment pad, so that it goes either to the street, or a drain system, or even out in the yard via backwash hose. Usually those are big and flat.

When you know you are going to get a belly washer, drop the pool level down an inch or two and let the rain refill you.

All pool owners, even those that use pool services, should have a reliable test kit (and there are but two we really recommend) and monitor what the pool service is doing with your water. The quality of your water has a LOT to do with the lifespan of your pool finish, that pretty deck area, your equipment and your pleasure in swimming. Let me know if you want my recommendation or more info.

Maddie

 

[Newdude]

Welcome BlueOasis !! And what an entrance too !! You clearly lost those precious chemicals that your PB was so concerned about saving. And you got a mess. Drain anytime you think it’s gonna pour but they will eventually happen when they are t supposed to. Gol Darn weather I tell ya !!

what does the yard look like ? Is it perfectly flat or is there a lower are that you could install a drain to ? I buried PVC from the flood area to a low spot. If water gets between the pool and house it leaves just as quick. Mine was in a mulched area so I didn’t care about seeing the entry end of the pipe. Yours would need something a little fancier but same principle. French drain-y

 

[Blueoasis]

Hello all. Now the pool cleaners are saying we need to replace the pool filter after only running for 3 months. Is this normal?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Why replace them and not just clean them?? Why are you using these guys at all?? They sound like they are taking you for a ride.

You never got back to us and told us how you solved the draining problem? How was the chemistry?

Maddie

 

[M_Melton]

I see a deck drain in one of the pictures. Looks to be running right at the edge of the covered lanai. I would hazard a guess that the end of that is clogged..or the entire thing clogged. The visible part of the drain should pop up and off of the recessed drain if you need to take a shop vac to it. It probably runs to the edge of the deck at the cage.

*edit* it also looks like the yard grade level is nearly even with the patio deck grade. even if the end of the deck drain is not clogged, it looks like maybe there is just no place for the water to go.

 

[M_Melton]

Hello all. Now the pool cleaners are saying we need to replace the pool filter after only running for 3 months. Is this normal?

not at all. though, south florida pool cleaners will tell you you need a new filter every 12 months as a rule. You only need to replace the filters when 1 of 3 things occur: (1) the bands are broken in multiple places which will cause the pleats to lay over on themselves (2) the filter media starts to look like a teddy bear (3) you start having dramatically reduced run times. For example: if it normally takes 3-4 weeks for the filter pressure to rise 8-10 pounds (which is time to clean) and, even after a good cleaning, it's rising that 8-10 pounds in 1-2 weeks. Then you may need to replace the filters. But, if you are leaving all the service up to the pool company, you're not aware of that detail probably.