Florida weather can change quickly. A sunny afternoon can turn into a thunderstorm in a matter of minutes, especially during the summer.
If a storm moves into the area during your scheduled pool service, you may notice that your technician completes part of your normal service but leaves certain tasks unfinished.
Why?
Because no pool is worth putting a technician at risk of being struck by lightning.
Pool Service Is Outdoor Work — Around Water and Metal
Pool professionals work in an environment that combines several factors that can create risk during a thunderstorm: open outdoor spaces, water, wet surfaces, electrical equipment, metal equipment, and long aluminum or metal-handled tools.
It Doesn't Have to Be Raining at Your House
This is probably the biggest misconception we encounter.
A homeowner may look outside and see little or no rain and understandably wonder why the technician isn't brushing, skimming or vacuuming the pool.
Rain isn't what determines whether lightning conditions are safe.
According to the National Weather Service, lightning can occur outside the area where rain is falling. That means conditions at your home can appear relatively calm while a nearby or approaching storm may still make outdoor work unsafe.
What Happens When Lightning Interrupts Your Pool Service?
Our first priority is making sure your pool remains properly maintained while also keeping our employees safe.
Depending on the conditions and when the storm arrives, your technician may be able to complete some portions of the scheduled service before seeking shelter. Other portions of the normal service may have to be limited or skipped.
For example, during active lightning conditions we may be unable to safely perform tasks that require the technician to remain exposed around the pool, including:
- Brushing the pool
- Skimming the surface
- Vacuuming
- Using a pool pole or other long-handled equipment
- Cleaning certain poolside equipment
- Performing equipment work that exposes the technician to unsafe conditions
Whenever conditions permit, our technicians will complete as much of the normal service as they can safely perform.
Why Doesn't the Technician Just Wait for the Storm to Pass?
Sometimes we can.
Unfortunately, Florida thunderstorms don't always cooperate with a pool service route.
The National Weather Service recommends remaining in a safe location for at least 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder before resuming outdoor activity. If thunder occurs again during that period, the waiting period begins again.
A storm that lasts 20 or 30 minutes can therefore make an hour or more of outdoor work unsafe.
Our technicians service multiple customers each day. Remaining at one property indefinitely waiting for a storm to clear can prevent us from reaching the rest of the customers on the route.
When conditions make it unsafe to complete the entire service, the technician may complete what can safely be accomplished and continue the route once it is safe to travel.
Why Not Just Work Through It?
Because we don't ask our employees to choose between completing a swimming pool and their personal safety.
Lightning is unpredictable, and outdoor workers should not wait until lightning is directly overhead before seeking shelter.
A pool can wait. Safety can't.
What About My Pool?
A weather-related interruption doesn't necessarily mean your pool is being neglected.
Our technicians will prioritize the portions of the service that can be safely completed based on the conditions at the property. Your service report will document the visit and any limitations caused by weather.
If weather conditions prevent a normal service from being completed, our team will continue to monitor the pool during subsequent visits and address conditions as necessary.
Florida's weather is simply part of maintaining pools year-round, and occasional weather-related interruptions are unavoidable.
Safety Comes First
We take our responsibility to maintain your pool seriously. We also take our responsibility to send our employees home safely at the end of the day seriously.
So if you receive a service report noting that portions of your scheduled pool service could not be completed because of lightning or severe weather, please understand that the decision wasn't made for convenience.
It was made for safety.
We appreciate your understanding and your support of the technicians who take care of your pool every week.
America's Swimming Pool Company