There is nothing better than sitting out on a perfectly stained deck or immaculately built patio, staring into the blue waters of a sparkling clean pool. There’s only one thing that could interrupt that view – pool equipment. When it comes to storage, where should your pool equipment be stored?
Concerning pool chemicals, be sure to store them in a cool dry area that is ventilated. Never store them on the floor, above your head, stack containers, or store them with any combustible materials. For other pool equipment, store them in an area that is covered and dry to avoid decay or mold.
There are so many things to consider when it comes to caring for your pool, and it can be stressful to decipher the proper way of doing things. When it comes to storing pool equipment though, it should not be an area that puts you in a tizzy. Continue reading to discover all the dos and don’ts of pool equipment storage.
Storing Pool Equipment: What Not to Do
Pools are something that many covet when it comes to what they do not have in their own backyard. Pools offer unending summer days spent within its cool waters, bring nights filled with tiki lights and poolside fires, and are able to entertain without a single person becoming bored with it.
However, there is more to a pool than simply fun and games. If you have a pool, then you need to store equipment and there are some big don’ts when it comes to this. Consider the following suggestions on what not to do when it comes to storing pool equipment:
Do Not Store Pool Chemicals on the Floor
When talking about pool equipment, one of the most important focuses is on how to handle chemicals. To have water that is clean and healthy for all those using it, as a pool owner, you will have to add certain chemicals to your pool on a monthly basis. There is simply no way around this, which means that you are going to have very potent and potentially dangerous materials on your property.
The chemicals used for a pool include those like chlorine, calcium chloride, cyanuric acid, algaecide, and shock. Not all of these are dangerous, but many are capable of causing serious chemical burns or internal problems if accidentally ingested. Because of this, it is imperative that you keep your chemicals off of the floor – wherever it is that you are storing them.
By keeping them off of the floor, you avoid the risk of any small (children’s) hands getting into them, any adults mistaking the containers for something else, or any animals rummaging around in them. Although the floor may be an easy access point for you, this storage spot is much too accessible to anyone who chooses to walk into the area.
Do Not Store Chemicals Above Your Head
If you can’t store chemicals on the floor, the safest bet must be to store them as high up as possible, right? This way, there is no chance any little ones can stumble upon them, any family pets are safe from harm, and there is no chance that someone would mistake them for the container that usually holds the baseballs.
Even though this may seem like a logical solution, storing chemicals above your head can be just as risky as storing them on the floor. The biggest risk in storing chemicals above your head is that you risk the possibility of the chemicals falling from the shelf and onto the floor during retrieval.
Along those same lines, you run the risk of those chemicals falling directly on you when you go to grab them. If you were to inhale harmful chemicals, it could lead to internal burns and you could also walk away with chemical burns on your body as well. Placing them above your head is simply an unnecessary risk, and there are other (more suitable) places to store your pool equipment.
Do Not Store Liquids Above Powders
This may seem like a trite issue to bring up, after all, all of the powders and chemicals are within separate containers, what harm could stacking a liquid above a powder bring? No matter how hazardous or how dormant any one chemical is, they each are capable of some type of reaction when mixed with the proper substance. This reaction may be small, but for those of you with potent pool chemicals, the reactions can be dangerous.
So many variables can affect the structure of the containers that liquids and powders are stored in. A simple rough put-down of one of your liquid containers can cause it to crack and will lead to a leak. If this happens and the liquid is stored above the powder, a chemical reaction could ensue and this could lead to a dangerous clean-up for you.
Although it may be a pain to store your chemicals more intentionally, it will result in a safer environment for you, your friends and family, and anything else that happens to be near this section of your pool equipment storage.
Do Not Store Wet Equipment in a Small Enclosed Area
Beyond chemicals, your pool has equipment that is used on an everyday basis. Most pool owners will have a slew of different rafts, floats, and toys that they use day in and day out.
However, at the end of the day, all of these things have to be put away somehow and a big trend is to put all of those wet rafts, floats, and toys in a large container that keeps them out of sight and out of mind. These are great to keep things tidy but can be an issue in other ways.
If you are using your pool, then you are likely in the heat of summer. When you store all those wet materials together in a container that is closed and keeps each item pushed up against the next, you make room for mildew and mold to grow due to the constant heating of the container from the blazing summer sun.
The items are not able to properly ventilate and therefore steam is created from within and they can sour, mildew, and potentially rot. So, when considering where to store your wet pool equipment (especially items which you access regularly), be sure not to store them in an enclosed area that they can be ruined by a lack of exposure to oxygen and appropriate temperatures.
Do Not Store Pool Accessories Haphazardly
Pool accessories include things like your skimmer, the hose, vacuum, and other things of that nature. These are all pieces that are essential to keeping your pool in working order and many people tend to overlook the importance of how they are stored.
When in a rush to get your pool backwashed, it can be easy to take the hose that you used and simply throw it into the shed or to leave your skimmer out in the hot sun for days on end, but be wary of this.
Concerning your hose, be sure to steer clear from throwing it on the ground in a messy pile. This can lead to mold growth within it due to the inability to drain off any excess water. This is especially important in the winter months, as piling the hose up can lead to it freezing in the wrong position which can cause it to kink and could then cause it to crack the next time you go to use it.
Moving on from the hose, let’s talk about the skimmer. This piece of equipment is used more than most pieces due to the nature of its job, but many pool owners tend to leave it out for easy access.
This is fine, but try to avoid leaving it out in an area that is perpetually exposed to the sun. The skimmer is partly made of mesh and constant sun exposure can cause the mesh to dry out which will eventually lead to it tearing, rendering it useless to you.
Instead of throwing your pool accessories on the ground or on the nearest shelf, be sure to store them properly. Taking the few minutes to avoid haphazard behaviors with your pool equipment storage can mean that you create a longer-lasting system- reducing long-term costs on pool equipment replacement.
Storing Pool Equipment: What to Do
Now that you know exactly what not to do, let’s get on to a bit of a more positive topic – what to do when it comes to where to put pool equipment. Owning a pool is hard work, but life can be made a bit easier if you follow a few simple steps to optimize the storage of all the different equipment that comes along with summertime oasis.
Life doesn’t have to be complicated with a pool, but can really be quite breezy with the right information in hand to keep your pool and pool area safe and well organized. So, without further adieu, let’s take a closer look at what to do with storing pool equipment and where you should put it all:
Store Chemicals on a Middle Shelf
You know the risks of storing pool chemicals on the floor, but if not on the floor, where should they go? If you are scratching your head wondering about the safest spot for them, consider storing them on a middle shelf.
We will talk about the details concerning the location next, but as far as the precise point that pool chemicals should go, the safest spot for them is to be placed on a shelf that is neither too low nor too high.
If the chemicals are too low, you leave the potential for children, pets, and even unknowing adults to get the containers that hold them. If the chemicals are too high, you could wind up spilling them due to an unsteady grab or them falling from an unstable area onto the floor.
The middle shelf will allow for enough space off the floor away from wandering little hands and keeps you from having to reach too high every time you access them.
Store Chemicals in a Secure Spot
More important than storing chemicals at the proper height, chemicals should be stored in an area that is inaccessible to most. You do not need to put them in a bullet-proof vault, but they also should not be sitting at a spot where anyone can get a hold of them.
In other words, you want the pool chemicals (as well as other pieces of pool equipment) to be stored in a way that only those who are intending to find them and use them (and those that should) are able to do so. This means to avoid putting them on shelves that are open or in areas that are easily accessed like on open shelving in a garage or in a pool closet that also holds regularly used pool equipment.
Instead, consider storing your chemicals in a kind of storage that is either completely dedicated to chemicals, or one that has a lock on it. This can be anything from an inexpensive cabinet that can lock, or you can even put them in a building that is only used by the adults of the house. This would look something like a backyard shed that also has a lock to it. The important factor here is to store them separately and store them safely.
Store Liquids and Powders Separately
Storing liquids and powders together can be a recipe for a chemical disaster, but it is one that can be easily avoided. Although it may not be the first instinct to separate these things, this will save you from any kind of accidental incident. When it comes to storing powders and liquids, consider them to be like oil and water – they most certainly should not mix. Even more, liquids should never be stored on top of powders, as mentioned earlier.
When storing liquids and powders, either store them completely away from one another or store them side by side. Storing liquids over your powders is a big “don’t,” but this can be easily remedied with a little rearranging. Just be sure that they are stored properly among each other, but also that all these chemicals, whether liquid or powder, still remain in a storage space that is not easily accessed.
Give Wet Pool Equipment Room to Dry
Storing pool equipment when it is wet is fine, but you have to be careful how you go about this. If you store wet items like floats, rafts, and toys together in a tight, closed-in container, this can lead to mold and mildew growth or could simply cause your equipment to sour. To avoid this, look to store your wet pool equipment in a way that will be conducive to it drying out adequately.
This doesn’t mean you need to go and buy another shed to give each and every item the space it needs to dry, but can be as simple and letting the equipment dry outside before you put it away.
Try to avoid leaving it in the blazing sun, as this can cause dry rot, but allow the equipment to dry before you store it all together. If you have a space large enough, avoid stacking and try to let each piece stand up to allow proper drainage. You can even build your own makeshift storage container that is water-resistant and can hold up to your wet pool equipment needing to air dry while inside of it.
Store Pool Accessories Neatly
For items like your pool hose, the skimmer, and the vacuum, these pieces need to be stored in a way that will not only allow them to dry but will also keep them from having too much sun exposure or cause them to freeze in the wrong positions over the winter months.
It is so easy to toss these items in no particular way on the floor of your storage shed, but storing them in such a haphazard way could lead to their ruin.
For your pool hose, when you are actively using it, try to avoid coiling it and hang it in a way that will allow for the water to drain from the hose. In the winter, this is especially important to avoid it freezing in the wrong position which can lead to it cracking. This means that you should store the pool hose on a pool hose hanger or find another way to wrap it effectively.
For your skimmer, try to keep it in a spot that is not constantly exposed to the sun and set it up in a way that will also allow water to drain from the net. Following these tips will help to extend your accessories’ life resulting in lower long-term costs on pool maintenance as well as less work required for you in the end.
