Gary's Pool Supplies › Guides › Weekly service
A night of wind off the foothills can undo a week of pool care. Here is what matters in the first day, and what can wait.
Upland, Claremont, Rancho Cucamonga, and Fontana sit right where the Santa Ana winds come down off the mountains. A strong night of wind fills a pool with leaves, palm fronds, and a layer of fine dust, and the dust is the part that causes trouble.
Empty the skimmer and pump baskets first. A basket packed with leaves starves the pump of water, and a pump running dry cooks its seal. Then net the big debris off the surface and the bottom before it has a chance to stain the plaster.
Check the filter pressure. Fine dust goes straight to the filter, and it is common to see the gauge climb several PSI above its clean reading after one windy night. If it is well above normal, clean the cartridges or backwash before the pump has to fight it all week.
Leaves and dust bring organic material and phosphates into the water, and chlorine gets used up fighting them. Test chlorine the next day and bring it back up. If the water is cloudy after the filter is clean, give it a day of circulation before adding more chemicals; cloudiness after a wind event is usually dust still working through the filter.
A dusty tile line can wait for the next brushing. Most dust settles and vacuums out. What should not wait is a pump running with a clogged basket, or a filter holding a week of dirt.
Your regular visit covers baskets, netting, brushing, and chemistry. If the wind was bad enough that the pool needs a trip before your next scheduled day, call the store and we'll fit one in.