You're a few days out from a trip. It hits you. Nobody's going to be checking the pool while you're gone. Now, it's monsoon season.
At Shasta, we get calls about monsoon season every summer. Many homeowners don't prepare and then don't realize the issues till its too late. We've served Arizona pools since 1966. Our service techs find unattended pools aren't an instant disaster. Although, it can turn into one fast if a few small things were already off.
This article highlights what happens to a pool when nobody's watching it. We share the risks during monsoon season. We want you to be prepared you leave for your next trip.
Table of Contents
- What Happens to a Pool During an Arizona Monsoon?
- How Long Can a Pool Go Without Being Checked?
- How Long Does It Take to Fix a Pool that Turned Green While You Were Away?
- Can a Monsoon Storm Damage My Pool Equipment?
- Your Pool Doesn't Need You There. It Needs to Be Ready Before You Leave.
What Happens to a Pool During an Arizona Monsoon?
A monsoon storm alone rarely wrecks a pool. What causes issues is the debris hitting a pool that was already becoming out of balance. Most storms are the tipping point and not the real problem.
What issues does a monsoon cause?
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Wind kicks up dust and airborne debris then dumps it into the pool
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Rain and wind push phosphates
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A filter can start to clog and circulation drops
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pH climbs and chlorine becomes less effective
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Chlorine can't keep up with the new debris load
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Algae gets the food it needs to start growing
A single storm can drop 1 to 2 inches of rain in under an hour. Arizona's monsoon season runs June 15 through September 30, and Shasta's service teams track a jump in green-pool calls once the storms start. (Checkout more information from NWS Monsoon Page)
The Perfect Storm
"It's usually a perfect storm. One, they didn't get their cartridges cleaned or filter cleaned or backwashed. Then you get clogged up with more debris from the wind and the monsoon or the dust storms that roll through... once that pH drives up and you can't drive it down, chlorine's non-effective and it just spins that cycle. Once that algae goes, it moves extremely fast." - Brock Falk, Shasta Pool Service Manager
How Long Can a Pool Go Without Being Checked?
There is no concrete number for how long a pool can go. It depends more on the condition your pool was in before you left. How is your water chemistry and how clean is your filter?
- A balanced pool and clean filter can usually go a week untouched with real trouble.
- A pool lacking chlorine and filter cleaning starts having issues within a day of a storm hitting.
In a perfect environment where everything is running and correct, we usually don't see algae as long as we stay up on those chems. It's not the week away that gets you. It's whatever was already slipping before you left.
Is One Missed Week a Big Deal?
One week with a clean filter and correct chemistry is usually nothing. A disaster is stacking that week on top of a pool that was already running low on chlorine or overdue for a filter cleaning.
How Long Does It Take to Fix a Pool that Turned Green While You Were Away?
You can get your pool back to blue faster than most people expect. A green pool looks like a disaster. However, the fix is usually more straightforward.
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Most monsoon-related green pools clear up in less than a day once a tech gets circulation and chemicals moving again
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The pool typically goes blue almost immediately after dosing and netting
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How hard the storm hit your specific yard effects the timeline and some pools need more than one visit
The pool needs three things working at once to bounce back fast: clean filter, balanced chemistry, and circulation
Turnaround in Less than a Day
"We've had some turnaround in less than a day. We dose it and net it and once it starts moving it, it goes blue almost instantly and then it's clear water the next day... as long as we can get to it sooner than later and get it moving within a day, it's clear." - Brock Falk, Shasta Pool Service Manager
Can a Monsoon Storm Damage My Pool Equipment?
A storm isn't likely to break your pump or crack your filter. The risk is what debris does to your equipment while it's trying to keep running.
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Heavy debris loads can clog skimmer baskets and pump baskets.
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A basket that overflows or clogs can cause your pump to cavitate.
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Loose pool items can become debris themselves in high winds.
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Overhanging tree limbs and dead branches near the pool add another source of debris.
What Happens When a Filter Gets Clogged with Storm Debris?
A clogged filter causes most of the issues.
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A clogged filter stops water from circulating properly.
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Reduced circulation means chlorine and other chemicals stop reaching all parts of the pool evenly.
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The pool starts "suffocating" and debris builds on top of debris.
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The longer a clogged filter goes unaddressed, the more debris gets added before the next cleaning.
The main culprit is going to be filtration. So, either they're not running their pool long enough because they never change their time from the winter, or it's clogged up and it just is suffocating. It's usually the filter gets clogged up and then the pool starts turning green and then you're adding so much more to that filter before you clean it.
Your Pool Doesn't Need You There. It Needs to Be Ready Before You Leave.
No, you don't need to babysit your pool through monsoon season. A week away with a clean filter and balanced chemistry is usually nothing. The storm isn't the threat. It's whatever was already off before you left.
Left unchecked, a clogged filter compounds. Low chlorine causes issues once debris and phosphates hit the water. Now, a simple fix turns into a green pool. The green pool sits there waiting for you to come home.
Before your next trip create a checklist. Add clean the filter, check your chlorine, and clear anything loose that wind could turn into debris.
We've been keeping Arizona pools clear since 1966. If you'd rather not think about any of this before your next trip, Shasta's Weekly Pool Care team can handle it. Just think a tech watching your pool every single week. You don't have to wait for a storm.
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