Hurricane season – June 1 through November 30 – is here again! And so is our annual blog post on how to protect your pool and patio! If you’re thinking about being complacent because you’re a seasoned Central Florida pool owner who’s seen it all, we strongly recommend you think again. Although last year’s active La Nina climate cycle has concluded, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other weather experts predict an above-normal 2025 hurricane season in Florida.
NOAA is forecasting a range of 13 to 19 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of those, 6-10 are forecast to become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 3 to 5 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). NOAA has a 70% confidence in these ranges.
Underestimating the impact that Central Florida might face this year could be a costly mistake! Making your preparations now will give you an advantage – as you may not have much opportunity to batten down the hatches should the experts’ forecasts come to pass. The old adage – hope for the best but prepare for the worst – applies! Our own experts at Certified Leak Detection provide the following advice on how to get ready.
How to Prepare Your Pool
Trim trees – Actually, this is the first thing you should do before hurricane season really gets underway – which is usually August through mid-October. Remove dead, diseased or overgrown tree limbs from your yard. They can snap off during the storm and damage your pool and screen enclosure – as well as break your windows, crash through your roof or damage vehicles parked outside. Remove dead and/or declining trees so they aren’t uprooted during the storm to cause severe property damage. This isn’t a DIY job, so call a professional tree service to do it safely. Otherwise, clean up your yard to reduce the amount of plant debris that could be dumped in your pool by high winds if you don’t have a screen enclosure.
Put away or secure loose items – Now is the time to walk around your property and make note of items that will need to be moved indoors or secured when a hurricane warning is issued. A hurricane warning means that hurricane force winds (74 mph or greater) are expected in 36 hours; a hurricane watch means that hurricane force winds are possible. Whichever the case, you don’t want to be figuring this out while scrambling to make your other hurricane preparations! Being proactive will save you valuable time and allow you to make good decisions.
Should you get the word, move patio furniture, your barbecue grill/smoker, toys, plants in containers and any other objects that could become projectiles to an indoor location. You can bring a gas grill indoors, but leave the propane tank outside, chained in an upright position to a solid object or structure.
If you can’t bring your patio furniture in your house, garage, shed or other protected area, don’t put it in the pool! Doing so can damage the pool’s interior finish or lining, as well as damage the furniture itself. The pool water and chemicals will cause corrosion of the furniture, and chemical reactions will leave permanent staining in the pool’s finish.
Zing Patio advises the following: “If you cannot bring patio furniture indoors before a hurricane, secure it by covering it with tarps or heavy-duty plastic, securing those covers, and tying down furniture to a stable structure. If you have lighter pieces, consider stacking them together and securing them with bungee cords or straps. For heavier items, you can use sandbags or deck tie-down anchors.”
Don’t cover the pool – It may seem a logical way to prevent debris from being dumped in, but it’s easier to remove branches and other items after the storm than replacing an expensive pool cover that’s been damaged by the same.
Balance the water chemistry – Test your pool water and add chemicals as needed to balance it out. This will give you a head start when cleaning the water after the storm has passed. If you want, you can shock the pool – that is, superchlorinate with algaecide – for an extra boost against dirt and germs that the storm will throw into the water. Lower the pH first to around 7.2 for best results, and run the filter after shocking for several hours to circulate.
NEVER DRAIN YOUR POOL – Do not drain your pool before the storm – or ever! Draining a pool can cause it to bulge, split or pop out of the ground. The only time you should need to drain your pool is when it requires a major repair, and that should always be done by a professional.
How to Safeguard Your Pool’s Electronics
Pool electronics are typically safe from the elements, but the extreme, prolonged high winds and torrential rains of a named storm are the exception. Medallion Energy recommends taking the following precautions once a hurricane or tropical storm is projected to hit your area:
- Power down your equipment at the circuit breaker. This includes your pump, lighting, chlorinator and all other electric equipment in your pool setup. The likelihood of them getting damaged or overworked is high.
- Wrap your pump, automatic timer, heater and light fixtures in a few layers of plastic. Use duct tape and rope to secure the wrapping in place. If possible, physically disconnect power to the devices.
How to Protect Your Patio and Screen Enclosure
As covered in our blog post – “How to Prepare Your Pool Before a Storm” – screen pool enclosures are also vulnerable. Some damage to the frame of a screen structure may be prevented if you provide a “vent” for wind to flow through. Consider removing screen panels on opposite sides of the enclosure by pulling out the vinyl spine that holds the panels.
Otherwise, apply the same advice given earlier regarding bringing items that can be hurled by hurricane-force winds to a safe place indoors. Considering that a category 1 hurricane packs sustained winds of 74 to 95 mph, a screen enclosure offers little or no protection. The screen panels and even frames themselves can be damaged by patio furniture thrown against them.
Dulando Screen & Awing, Inc. provides the following additional tips:
Brace your screen enclosure – When bad weather takes down pool screen enclosures, inadequate bracing is often to blame. Pool enclosure hurricane braces reinforce the structural integrity of the pool enclosure. Verifying that your pool cage has hurricane braces before a storm arrives can minimize damage.
Check your enclosure’s hardware – Screws are small, but they can have a major effect when it comes to pool enclosure hurricane safety. Florida’s high humidity allows rust to flourish, and rusted fasteners leave a structure weak. Checking that your enclosure is built with corrosion-resistant fasteners is a simple way to ensure that it’s got the strength to survive nasty weather.
Those who want to take the extra step in protecting their patio may consider reinforcing patio doors and windows with hurricane shutters. During a hurricane, strong winds can cause these structures to break, which can result in significant damage to your patio and home. These shutters are designed to withstand high winds and heavy rain, and can be installed over existing doors and windows. You also can reinforce your doors and windows with impact-resistant glass, which is designed to withstand flying debris. Although neither measure is inexpensive, making this investment could pay off!
Our Wish for a Quiet Hurricane Season
As we do every year, we wish for a quiet and uneventful hurricane season. We hope we’ve provided information that you can use to help protect your slice of Central Florida paradise from nature’s fury. For additional tips, we invite you to read our previous blog posts:
- Hurricane Season is Here! How to Protect Your Pool and Patio!
- First Hurricane Season in Florida? Here’s How to Protect Your Pool!
- What You Need to Know About Protecting Your Pool During Hurricane Season
- How to Protect Your Pool During Hurricane Season
While we do not perform swimming pool maintenance or repair, we want you, your pool and your property to be safe! We look after all of your leak-related issues, be it your swimming pool, spa or fountain. We serve areas throughout Central Florida, including Orlando, Longwood, Lake Mary, Sanford, Kissimmee, Clermont and Winter Springs. Contact us for quick and reliable service.