Cleaning Flood Affected Pools - Decontamination
WARNING: Do not drain the water from your pool
until you seek professional advice! See below for more
information or visit SPASA Queensland or SPASA
Victoria.
Decontamination and Draining the Pool Water
- Depending on how dirty the water is in your pool, you will have
to assess whether it makes sense to add chemicals
-chlorine, flocculent and clarifiers to begin
cleaning the water and removing solids from the water, plumbing
lines, filter and other components. The second option is to
drain the pool partially or completely.
- Since the ground water table in the area will be higher than
normal after a flood it is extremely important that the
pool or spa is not drained without the advice of a licensed pool
professional. This is important to avoid the pool from
being 'lifted' from the foundation due to ground water
pressure. Emptying a pool may also void construction
warranties.
Decontamination
- Take a sample of the pool water to your local pool professional
for testing and advice. Superchlorinate the water and add
water clarifiers or flocculent to help filter out debris or settle
debris to the bottom. Test and adjust the water pH between
7.2-7.8.
- Debris that settles to the pool bottom should be vacuumed to
waste to reduce the risk of plugging the filter and to remove
contaminants that will consume chlorine.
- Maintain the chlorine level and circulate the water. In a
spa, make sure that the jets are set at their maximum. Also
for a spa, turn the aerator (blower) on and off about every five
minutes while the water is circulating. This will ensure that
the lines are being cleaned.
- Test the chlorine level and pH in the evening and again the
following morning to see if the water has maintained its
levels. This will help you understand if there is substantial
contamination remaining in the water requiring additional chlorine,
flocculents and/or clarifier.
- When you have finished balancing your pool it is important to
take a sample of pool water to your local pool professional to have
it tested for phosphates (algae food). High levels of
phosphates will use up chlorine very quickly increasing the need
for chlorine and the risk of your pool going green.
Phosphates can easily be treated with Ultimate
Phosphate Remover. As a final insurance policy we would
advise adding an algaecide.