For a pool owner, it’s when their pool level overflows constantly. But it could be worse, and that’s if it never overflows at all (that is unless they are lucky enough to have an overflow line plumbed into their pool). The peak of hurricane season is now just several weeks away. Nearly everyone knows just how much water that these big storms can bring in the form of rain. Rainfall totals are often measured in feet, not just inches. When the heavy rains do come, pool owners would be wise to protect their property by backwashing their pools to waste, to keep the water level down. This may help to prevent the pool from overflowing and flooding the deck, porch, or the foundation of their home. But never totally drain the pool, which may cause a concrete one to pop out of the ground, or a fiberglass pool to buckle or split along it’s walls from the weight of the soil. And also if the big hurricane ever does ever come, please follow any evacuation orders.
Even some brief, but heavy storms on any given summer day can total over 4 inches of rain. When you get the rains that flood your pool observe the following: 1). the pool level starting out high, dropping rapidly, then it stops leaking at a level higher than the middle of the skimmer mouth. 2). if your pool normally doesn’t leak but never overflows regardless of how much water is added to it. If either one occurs, then the chances are good that you have a high bond beam crack behind the waterline tiles, (high meaning above the normal operating water level). Now all of the water that would normally overflow your pool, leaks through this cracked area and can undermine the deck support and that of the pool plumbing. If you suspect your pool has a bond beam crack, it is also very important to backwash your pool to keep the water level down after these hit and miss storms, even more so due to the frequency that they occur.
If you are having a new pool installed or an existing one resurfaced/remodeled, look into the possibility of having an overflow line put in. Don’t you think it would save the pool owner time and ultimately money in the long run to have this feature in their pool?