You might experience too much water in pool due to rain, hence, monitor your water level. Use your backwash line or waste to drain the excess water as the pool continues to get full. However, make sure you don't drain the water past the skinner openings to prevent the motor's burning due to the pump catching air.
We call it the 48-hour rule, and it goes like this: In order to protect your health against recreational water illnesses, avoid contact with the water for at least 48-hours after a significant rain event. Think that sounds harsh? Some places suggest waiting up to 72 hours.
Shocking your pool isn't necessary, although, it's not a bad idea either. If you get an extremely heavy rain fall, you could shock your pool for good measure. This will help fight off any contaminants that the rain may have brought to your pool.
Avoid contact with open waters during rainstorms to reduce your chances of encountering dangerous conditions. It's also a good idea to stay away from your pool when it's raining because your deck and other surface areas can be more slippery than usual.
Give your pool a good shock treatment 1 to 2 days before the storm hits. You can bring the chlorine level up pretty high to prolong the pool being depleted of chlorine.
Test your water with an at-home test kit, or bring a sample to your local Leslie's store for a free AccuBlue® water test. Rain water and other debris affect pool chemistry, most notably the pH and total alkalinity. Be sure to take a look at calcium hardness, metal content, and total dissolved solids, as well.
Swimming pool owners can add disinfecting and stabilizing chemicals as they please when it rains. However, continuous rain will adversely affect the water's chemical balances. This is because rain picks up atmospheric contaminants, such as organic materials and even algae spores, when it falls.
Running your pool pump during a lightning or electrical storm should be avoided as a power surge or nearby lightning strike could damage your pump. However running your pump during is beneficial. The extra filtering will help clean out the impurities rain has introduced into your pool's water.
The Department of Environmental Health recommends avoiding activities such as swimming, surfing, and diving for 72 hours after it rains. Research has shown that the risk of infection is the highest during and the day after rain, and declines to around normal levels after three days.
A good rule of thumb is to wait 72 hours after it rains before going into the ocean. Some scientists recommend five days, especially if the beach is close to an area where the river or an outfall dumps into the ocean.