What should you do with a pool when a haboob is coming?
Arizona's monsoon runs from June 15 to September 30. Here is what to do before a dust storm, how to clean up after one, and what Saltbrush does for weekly customers.
- Season dates: June 15 to September 30
- Cleanup visit on your next route day
- Storm rate on filter cleanings
What should I do before a dust storm?
- Lower or tie down umbrellas, cushions and pool toys. Whatever is loose ends up in the water.
- Leave the water level alone. A full pool is heavier and safer in the ground than a low one.
- Turn off the pump if lightning is close, and never touch the equipment during a storm.
- Do not cover the pool. A cover in a dust storm becomes a sail and then a mess.
Monsoon season runs June 15 to September 30. Read the storm care guide
What does a dust storm do to pool water?
A haboob drops fine desert silt into the pool, and that silt carries phosphates, which are food for algae. The dust also loads the filter, so the pump moves less water at the moment the pool needs it most.
Rain that follows is slightly acidic and dilutes the water, so pH, alkalinity and chlorine can all fall overnight. A pool that is left alone after a big storm often turns cloudy within a day and green within a week.
The fix is simple, and the order matters. Debris comes out first, then the dust, then the filter is cleaned, and only then is the water tested and corrected.
How do you clean a pool after a haboob?
These are the eight steps our technicians follow on a storm cleanup visit. You can do the first three yourself the morning after, and they make the biggest difference.
If the water is still brown after a full day of filtering, the filter needs cleaning again. That is normal after a large storm.
Net out the large debris
Leaves, palm fronds, seed pods and trash come out first, before they sink and stain.
Empty the baskets
Skimmer and pump baskets fill fast. Check them more than once during the cleanup.
Brush everything
Walls, steps and floor, from the waterline down, to lift the silt off the surface.
Vacuum slowly
Fast vacuuming stirs the dust back up. Slow passes pick it up.
Clean the filter
When pressure reads 8 to 10 psi above the clean number, the filter is full and needs cleaning.
Test the water
Dust and rain carry in phosphates and change pH and alkalinity.
Shock if the test calls for it
Extra chlorine deals with what the storm brought before algae can use it.
Run the pump until it clears
After a large storm this can take a day or more and a second filter cleaning.
What is wrong with my pool after the storm?
Match what you see to the likely cause.
| What you see | What is happening | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Brown or tan water | Fine silt is suspended in the pool | Brushing, slow vacuuming and a filter cleaning |
| Cloudy water a day later | The filter is loaded and chlorine is low | Clean the filter again and raise chlorine |
| Green tint within a week | Phosphates from dust fed an algae bloom | Shock, brush, and a phosphate treatment |
| Pump running loud or dry | Baskets are packed or the water level dropped | Empty baskets, check the level, then restart |
| Water level higher than the tile | Heavy rain overfilled the pool | Pump down to mid tile, then rebalance |
Storm cleanup visits are $85 for weekly customers, and an after storm filter cleaning is $75. If the pool has already turned, see green pool cleanup.
Monsoon pool care, answered
Season dates are from the National Weather Service.
When is monsoon season in Phoenix?
The National Weather Service defines the Arizona monsoon as June 15 through September 30 each year. Dust storms and heavy rain are most common in July and August.
What is a haboob?
A haboob is a wall of dust pushed ahead of a thunderstorm's outflow winds. It can be thousands of feet tall and miles wide, and it drops a layer of fine silt on everything, including the bottom of your pool.
Should I run my pump during a dust storm?
If there is lightning, leave the equipment alone. Otherwise the pump can stay on its schedule. What matters more is emptying the baskets and cleaning the filter afterward.
How soon after a storm will you come?
Weekly customers get a cleanup visit on their next route day, or sooner when a storm is large enough that we add a storm day. You get a text the night before.
Does rain hurt pool water?
Rain is slightly acidic and dilutes the water, so pH, alkalinity and chlorine can all drop after a heavy storm. A test the next day tells us what to add.
Tell us about your pool
Five details and we send a written quote the same business day. No one comes to the gate until you say so.
Routes run Monday to Friday from 6 AM. The office answers 7 AM to 4 PM, Arizona time.