Why You Shouldn’t Drain a Swimming Pool in Florida

Seeing your pool water completely green frustrates anyone. The first thing we think is: “I’d better drain it all, clean it, and fill it with fresh water.” However, if you live in Florida, doing this is one of the worst mistakes you can make with your property.

Here we explain right to the point why you should never do it.

1. The “Boat” Effect: Your pool could float away

Florida’s soil is like a big sponge. Since the state is so flat and it rains so much, the ground beneath your yard is soaked with groundwater that constantly presses upward.

The only thing keeping your pool steady and buried is the tons of weight of the water inside it. If you drain it, you remove that weight. When you do this, the groundwater will push up with so much force that the entire pool can pop out of the ground like a boat, destroying your backyard completely.

2. The “Dry Skin” Effect: The walls crack

The material that lines the interior of your pool is made specifically to live underwater.

If you leave the pool empty, Florida’s scorching sun is going to roast the walls. By losing its moisture all at once, the material dries up, shrinks, and cracks. In a very short time, you’ll have walls rough as sandpaper and full of cracks where water will leak out later. Repairing this damage can cost you thousands of dollars.

3. The “Weed” Effect: The green water will come back

The algae that turn the water green don’t just go away by draining the pool. They work exactly like weeds: their roots grip tightly to the walls and hide inside the pipes and the filter.

If you empty the water and fill it back up with clean water, those invisible roots are still stuck there. In just a couple of sunny days, your new water will turn green again. It’s a never-ending cycle, and you’ll just be throwing money down the drain.

What should you do instead?

Green water isn’t thrown away; it’s cured from the inside out using chemistry. Here is how it’s done correctly:

• Shock treatment: A strong dose of chlorine is applied to kill the root of the algae in one single blow.
• Clarifier: A special product is used to make all that dead debris heavy so it drops to the bottom of the pool.
• Direct vacuuming: All that waste is vacuumed up to send it straight down the waste line, without letting it pass through the filter.

This way, you eliminate the problem at its root, save your home’s structure, and get your crystal-clear water back. At Pro Quality Pools, we have been reversing this problem in our community for over 15 years. If your pool is green, don’t risk it. Leave it in the hands of those who know how to do it safely.