Heavy Rains..pool Over Flow

[nurlogorp]

Our pool has not overflowed yet.. but on about 4 occasions, it almost did.. we then have to go out there in the middle of the down pour and backwash the pool to prevent it overflowing.. Will it overflow? is there a better way? What do you all do?

[Pool Clown]

Not to sound like a jack ass, (I am a jack ass but I try not to show it) you could watch the weather reports and backwash before the storm comes. Or you can siphon with a garden hose. You may even have a hose bib on your equipment somewhere that you could never figure out what it was for, attach your garden hose there and pump out excess water.

[nurlogorp]

umm.. well we have done that on several occations, which then had led to not that much rain, then we had to add water from the hose.. I was curious for a more sophisticated solution. Dont get me wrong the backwashing works fine.

Maybe expain the bib hose thing... you may be right about not knowing about somehting on there.. our pool installer was a true "jackass and also a dumbass" and never showed us even one thing about the pool or pumps or anything.. had to just figure it out on my own.

[GTGallop]

We have had some monstrous deluges here. I use to go out and pre-backwash in anticipation (yes, I'm a jackass too...), but some of our storms, especially in the spring and fall will still overflow a pool that is drained a little from the get-go.

Here recently it actually has overflowed several times regardless of my better intentions. And I learned one key thing... The overflow doesn't really hurt the pool. There it is, plain and simple.

What you do need to watch out for is erosion. Water spilling over the edges of the pool can erode the dirt below and then you can have a pool failure. This is how the levees failed in NOLA from Hurricane Katrina. They were strong enough to hold back tides at war, but a little trickle over the top and all the sudden the earth eroded and there was nothing to hold up the levee - WHAMO!

Rather than obsess about the pool level and overflow and storms and stuff, I just make sure I have a good thick bed of pea gravel surrounding the pool to reduce the pounding effects of the water flowing over.

[nurlogorp]

wow thanks for your post.. I guess my main and first questions was if I was missing something and was I supposed to be doing something different.. but I guess we are doing what we should be.. glad to know that if it overflows that we are not toast too.. not that I will let it do it.. but good to know anyway.

[imnay]

wow thanks for your post.. I guess my main and first questions was if I was missing something and was I supposed to be doing something different.. but I guess we are doing what we should be.. glad to know that if it overflows that we are not toast too.. not that I will let it do it.. but good to know anyway.

I try not to be a Jack Ass but am often taken for a Dumb Ass - I don't see the issue. We've had a AGP for over 20 years in N. Florida and during the rainy times we can get 3 to 6 inches of rain and a lot more during a tropical storm - we just keep the lid off the skimmer and the overflow just - well, it overflows. Under the skimmer we have patio blocks at an lifted angle downward to the ground so the water drains away from the pool wall - again, what would be the concern about high level of water - wall collapse?? It's never even been a thought much less a worry.